"So, I guess I'll just strip right here..." as I stood in front of a mirror I asked the photographer to bring, in my typical 'I'm a girly girl but not..' fashion. I don't have a portable mirror, hadn't had the time to try on and figure out my outfits, and curled my hair for it to be flattened the moment I walked outside. But we were rollin' with it. I think Zach awkwardly replied with a mumble and walked the other direction.
We lose a lot through this journey. I lost a ton of hair, I lost my breasts, I lost my short-term memory, the ability to sleep in the sleeping position I'd slept in for decades, I lost my tubes, a giant portion of my womanhood, and so much more. Modesty? Yea, you can bet my fluffy ass any modesty leftover from childbirth is dead and gone.
I've written about it before, but we gain a lot through this journey too. I've gained a support group and friends and relationships that mean so much more than any of those I lost by going this route. I was a feminist before but holy hell, if this didn't give me a new profound respect for the WOMAN species as a whole, there's nothing else that could. There aren't even enough or strong enough words to describe how much these warriors face, come out on top, and still smash at life while walking the path. Regardless of the outcome, these woman are a force to be reckoned with. And therefore, I realize now that I am one of them! I am finding an entirely new version of self-love and am 100% unapologetic about how that may impact others. I love it. It's beautiful. You should try it too! PS, you don't even need a reason to - just do it!
So why did I want to do these photos? From a tangible perspective, I have that hideous, half-gone tattoo that I have a vision for. But I wanted photos of my scarring beforehand. From a non-tangible perspective, I hope they are a constant reminder for decades to come to myself and all those that read this that our scars, our wrinkles, our dimples, our gaps, our sags, our discolored, our whatevers are all of our imperfections that create our beauty.
"I am strong, I am beautiful, I am intelligent, I am kind. And I won't let anyone tell me differently." My daughter and I have said this together nightly since the day she was born and I share this as my gift to you!
*****
PHOTO CREDIT! Let's talk about how HOT these photos are! Zach Adams with 1221 Photography really knocked this boudoir session out of the park. While modesty is nil, posing in string things for a stranger is not something I was super comfortable with doing either. Zach handled my vulnerability beautifully! He captured all I wanted to capture. And he couldn't have been more respectful.
I can hardly wait to get my new ink and have session 2 done.
Comment below to show some love! Which are your favorites?!
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