You could say that I literally made it my job to help others love their bodies as a result of hating my own so much.
I always struggled with self image. I felt I was always just a little too curvy, never had that flat tummy to show off, and after having kids, things got exponentially worse for me. I had a cervical condition that prevented me from exercising during pregnancy but we’ll be honest and say I wasn’t doing a lot of exercise anyway.
I ended up with an emergency c-section that left me with a floppy belly that hung over my scar. That softness, combined with stretch marks and a changed post baby body left me devastated with my appearance.
About 2 months after having my second baby (and another c-section), a photographer friend of mine asked if she could photograph me because she wanted to try out boudoir. She used the equivalent of a spotlight in a dark room to light the portraits. That combined with winging the posing . . . . . to say the results were bad is definitely an understatement. I cried for DAYS.
I decided I was SO TIRED of hating my body. I decided to stop giving in to the ridiculous ideas society puts upon us. That we should BE a certain size, that we should “bounce back” from having a baby. That we should conform to their beauty standards. I was done.
I decided that this could never happen to anyone again and made the decision to start shooting boudoir myself. I didn’t want anyone to ever hate themselves the way I did. I set out to create a space where all bodies could be seen for the beauty they are and could be celebrated and loved. This is why I specialize in shooting boudoir for EVERY body.
A lot of other happy things came out of that day. I joined a gym to show my babies I was a STRONG mama. I started getting serious about my health and got the confidence I needed to leave my unhappy marriage. During that journey I decided to commit to loving my body going forward. For what it was capable of. For the weight it could lift. For the babies it created. It was so FREEING.
CHOOSING happiness in my body and letting go of all that angst was a huge weight off my shoulders. All of that said, there are still days I struggle. Days I look at my softness and stretch marks and think how I’ll never have flawless skin or a six pack (I need my chocolate). But it doesn’t take long for me to snap out of it and refocus on the gloriousness of self love.
I want you help you choose love for yourself too.
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