When I asked Michelle to write about her boudoir shoot experience with us, she quickly responded with a “YES!”. When I first read this, it brought me to tears. Michelle's transformation has been one of the most memorable ones. Here is her story!
Michelle came to us after struggling with her weight and not understanding her beauty that her husband saw in her. Originally she had wanted to do this session for their 20 year wedding anniversary but also wanted to do this for her. She wanted to see what her husband saw in her all those years because she had yet to see it.
"Signing up for a boudoir shoot was a crazy idea. It was meant to be a gift for my husband—he was always telling me how beautiful I am, even if I rolled my eyes every time he said it. Beautiful after working for 12 hour shifts or more? Sweatpants, hair tie, chillin’ with no makeup on…beautiful? No. Not ." Is what she had told me.
She appreciated the complements her husband gave her, but she was always wondering what he was seeing that she couldn't see. "A boudoir shoot would blow his mind. He would never expect it. I could do this for him…I think. I never expected to feel immediate doubt. WHAT was I thinking? Scheduling a boudoir shoot? In front of strangers no less?"
"I wasn’t a sexy person—I knew next to nothing about what looked sexy on me. I had never even seen a garter belt in person. Those could stay with the Victoria’s Secret models. I went to my closest friends for support. But all I got in reply was absolute shock. “You’re doing WHAT…?” “You’re brave.” “I could never do that…”
She prepared for my boudoir shoot as much as she could, checking off all of the things on my list to buy and do. Nails and toes done?—check. Hey, ladies, ever had a Brazilian wax?—painful check. Go to Victoria’s Secret, shop online for several outfits while trying to keep this a secret from her husband.
Then it was here—her Boudoir Shoot Day. She arrived into the studio—wearing leggings and an oversized shirt—and was immediately greeted our friendly staff.
She was trying to put on a brave face as she laid out her outfits for the day, all the while chatting with Mary and Kristen, the hair and makeup artist. "I’m so out of my element, I thought. I’m not sexy. What if my husband doesn’t like the pictures after all?" She was whisked into the hair and makeup chair soon after.
"I looked at myself in the mirror once I was done in the chair. I couldn’t stop staring. Could I really look that pretty? I genuinely didn’t recognize the woman in the mirror—the same mirror where I had just focused on the imperfections of my face. Why was I so obsessed with focusing on the negative?
It’s really all about jumping off that cliff—even if you have a fear of heights. The cliff where all your insecurities hang out and whisper those non-truths into your soul. The cliff where you have never felt good enough. The cliff where we judge other women for what they look like. The cliff’s edge that is too damn perfect to leave most days."
We started to shoot the session and immediately I showed Michelle the back of the camera. "She said OMG I don't even recognize that person, WOW is that me!" We whisked through the session pretty fast between the 4 different sets and with each set I could see Michelle's confidence gaining more and more.
A week went by before Michelle's reveal and ordering appoint, Michelle arrives at the studio so nervous but excited. She can't believe that is her. She said "Mary, I can't thank you enough I feel like a million bucks. This album was for my husband originally but really its for me." Michelle ordered a 40 image luxury album and I send her the digital images over. She was showing her husband the digitals and he sent me a text saying "Thank you Mary for showing my wife how beautiful she really is, I can't thank you enough."
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