Dear Ladies,
This is a letter to you and I want to start by telling you a secret.
99% of the women that come into my studio are self conscious about their tummy and 100% of them have at least one part of themselves they want to minimize.
Who are these women? They are like you, they are like me, they are like the model on the magazine cover…. they are all different sizes, have different struggles, insecurities and are all on a different journey.
Do you realize what this means? We are all in this body image stigma together. One of the reasons I love photography so much is that it helps to get rid of this unhealthy body image that seems to plague women.
Photography is not only fun, it’s empowering. When you feel beautiful, you LOOK beautiful but I also think that many women are nervous or afraid that they won’t like what they see in their photos. They use excuses to justify not booking a session or they put it off until they feel they’ve reached their “perfect” body image. But what is perfect? Your body is ALWAYS changing and your life is a journey, NOT a destination. Sounds cliche but it’s true!
We see these images on magazines with models that have flawless skin and literally perfect curves – why? Because a computer made them that way! And women look at these photos and even if they KNOW they aren’t totally real, they still think they are and wish they could look like that. As women, we also love to compare ourselves to each other and this is equally as damaging. Everyone is going through a different journey with their body and I guarantee there is a woman out there that is looking at you, yes YOU, and going, “Man, I wish I looked like her!” You don’t have to be “perfect” to do a photography session. But if you attempt to wait until you are, you are being harder on yourself then you should be. I think that we all need to remember that we are our harshest critic.
When I look at all these beautiful women who come into my studio I don’t see the “flaws” that they claim they have. I’m not interested in what you don’t necessarily like about yourself because that’s not what I’m seeing when I look at you. I want to capture you being confident, sexy and proud of who you are IN THAT MOMENT. I want to know what you LOVE about yourself. You’re allowed to be comfortable and confident. You’re allowed to feel sexy, RIGHT NOW. You’re allowed to love yourself regardless of the standards you THINK you are seeing around you.
We all have moments of self doubt, believe me, but don’t let it stop you from doing everything you want to do. Don’t let it stop you from thinking you’re beautiful. I challenge you to do something today that makes you feel sexy, confident and gorgeous – because you are all that and more, right now. Still don’t believe me? Let me show you! I promise you won’t regret it.
Stay True, Be You
Much Love and Gumption
