I am in tears right now.
I just received the most amazing testimonial from a client that completely changed me. This is why I do what I do, this is EXACTLY why I chose this type of photography to continue in, and why I absolutely LOVE my career.
Boudoir is more than sexy pictures, it's about finding yourself again.
I'll let her tell you her story.
Catherine's Story...
"To start off I think I need to address what most people think of when they hear the word Boudoir. Most people think of thin models in revealing outfits, or even more of a pinup style with an hourglass figure. That's definitely what I was thinking when I first started looking into the possibility of doing a session. Then it became something I placed on a pedestal, a goal to work towards. And don't misunderstand me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but for me, it became the unachievable, something I could never do because of my size.
Growing up I was a very athletic kid, I played a lot of sports and was very active. Consequently, I had a very trim build, not thin, but trim. Then when I hit around 11 or 12 I began to put on weight, nothing too drastic, but enough that I was made fun of for it. Then in high school, I met my first love. We were both young (17/18) and both very inexperienced in matters of the heart. Our first breakup caused my undiagnosed depression to spiral out of control and led to an eating disorder. Contrary to popular belief, not all people who suffer from an eating disorder become stick thin. I rapidly lost 35 pounds over the course of a month or so and then began to rapidly gain weight as my body entered starvation mode.
Shortly after high school still struggling with the eating disorder, depression, and low self-esteem that had hit me, I came clean to my parents about something that had started the downward spiral I was on even before I knew it. Then I met my ex, who was an abusive individual whose power was found in destroying his partner's self-esteem. We stayed together for about a year before he cheated on me and told me I was too fat and ugly for him to stay with me.
After being single for a while and dealing with my own emotional and mental wellbeing, I met my amazing husband. He has been with me through a lot and helped me rebuild my self-esteem. I know it can not be easy to live with a survivor of abuse and someone with low self-esteem. So, as we began planning our wedding, my thoughts again turned to a boudoir session.
I found Unleashed Boudoir on Facebook and began following Lauren a little over a year ago, and when she posted asking for model calls I decided to put my name in as an interested person. She gave me a call and we talked through Boudoir and what kinds of outfits, hair/makeup, and what the session would be like. I went in with three outfits, 2 that I really was excited about, and one that made me sweat just thinking about it being in my bag. I was excited, terrified, and nervous all rolled into one. I arrived and got into hair and makeup, sipping on a mimosa as I spoke with Marilu and Lauren about a gameplan. The first outfit took a little getting used to (more skin than I have shown in a long time) and with the second one I started to get excited. Lauren really knew what she was doing when she planned out the outfits because she had me do the most revealing, and the one I was most nervous about last. I came out of that session the most confident I had been in YEARS. I immediately went home and demanded a date night from my husband.
A few weeks later I went to see the photos and I was completely blown away. Instead of focusing on my stomach, my arms, or any part of me that I am super self-conscious about, all I could see was confidence, happiness, and sensuality I didn't know I could tap into. My husband enjoyed the picture collection I got, but more importantly, it made me realize that my beauty and sensuality didn't disappear, I just needed to rediscover myself.
A huge thank you to Lauren and Unleashed Boudoir for being so supportive and just making me feel beautiful and confident for the first time in a long time."
This amazing woman and many others are in our VIP Facebook Group spreading words of encouragement and lots of love. If you aren't in the group, make sure you request to join!
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