MIss B. Testimonial

Have you ever done a boudoir shoot before? If so, how does your shoot with Elle compare to your prior experience?

I did a boudoir session with you before and this time it felt different because I was more fit and not wanting to hide my body. You made me feel brave and beautiful in both of my sessions. I just think I was a little more comfortable this time around.

Why did you do your boudoir shoot?

I wanted to do shoot, because I needed to get out of my comfort zone. I had already done that in the last year, by working on my physical health and getting into the best shape I've ever been in. It started with loving what I saw in the mirror. Being constructively critical of myself, opposed to just hating what I saw. I hope by doing this, way out of my comfort zone, some other women will find it in herself to love herself.

What was your favorite part of the session?

When I was feeling my most vulnerable I was made to feel strong, embraced and beautiful. Both Elle and Lacey had patience with me trying to figure out where to place what and made me laugh and not feel uncomfortable.

What did doing this shoot do for your self confidence, self worth, and self image? Tell me your story.

A little over a year ago, I had a really hard split in a relationship. I wanted to place all the blame on him. Since before the split, I had often dealt with a bad day by coming home and opening a bottle of wine. And it was nothing for me to finish a bottle, and maybe even some of a second, as a way to cope. About 3 weeks after he left, I was coming back from a weekend at a friend’s house, I found myself in a really dark place. I had really done a number on myself that weekend, and decided I needed to make a change NOW. Driving to my apartment, I was passing a gym that was just opening and decided that was where I was going to start. I walked in and signed up on the spot. My self-confidence being less than zero and being very over weight, I just started walking on the treadmill. But, I would see classes going on in the next room. I kept telling myself, you can't do that, you don't have the coordination, you can't keep up with them....but they looked like they were having so much fun!

Gradually, I worked up the courage and decided to give it a shot. Thinking everyone was watching me because I couldn't keep up, I almost quit. But, then the instructor and a few of the other gals told me I did such a great job, I thought "I CAN do this"! It was an amazing snowball effect, one little success after another. One day I looked in the mirror and didn't see the same person. I continued with classes and changed my eating habits. I cut out the wine for more than 4 and a half months. I also finally accepted that food is your body’s fuel. If you put garbage in, you’ll get garbage results..

Over that same time period, I lost 45 pounds. That's when I saw all the sweat and effort really start to show results. It wasn’t simply lost weight; I looked HEALTHY. The woman in the mirror was fit, she was strong, she was confident. I now do classes 6 times a week, some days 3 times a day. It was also around this time I started examining me, as a person, not just the body I am in. I started to see what part I played in the break up. I could see where the things my ex had said were out of love and concern, and not intended to be mean or malicious. That it really was my health and happiness he was trying to help with.

At that time, I really didn't like what I saw in the mirror. Sometimes, I hated her! Sometimes you have to go all the way down, to ride to your personal best. Then, out of nowhere, you approached me about this boudoir session, and all that doubt tried to creep back in...."why would ANYONE want to hear my story?" A boudoir photo shoot? I was terrified. I looked at the body suits and thought NO WAY!" and you said you are going to fall in love with body suits by the time we are done. I laughed in my head and thought no way in hell could I pull these off, “these are going to show rolls/dimples/ I'll look silly”.... and I heard you say when I came out of the dressing room " Girl You Look Amazing! You worked hard for this OWN IT!" !

Then you had me look in the Mirror and I almost burst into tears but didn't want to ruin my makeup. I looked so pretty. You continued to tell me I was doing fantastic, I looked beautiful that I was rocking the shoot. It was all the way through the first two wardrobe changes I still felt like I wanted to crawl under a rock and hide... When I went in for the third wardrobe change to this red lace bodysuit... I saw myself and LOVED what I saw! I thought I don't look horrible. In fact, I look damn.. dare I say it.. HOT!!

Not exactly a way I would ever have thought of describing myself. My confidence continued to grow through the shoot. I was having fun putting those body suits on now! You were right I did fall in love with them and how I looked.

Despite having setbacks from a complicated surgery, still dealing daily with mystery pains and all the other everyday life things that get in the way and keep me out of the gym for too long... I still having women I know at the gym telling me I am their inspiration.

Looking at these pictures, and with your help, I can finally start to see what others see in me. I just have to accept that it's not always about what you wear or whether your hair and nails are just so. But these pictures? What you got me to pull out of myself and showed me? This is what I have been told was ALWAYS inside me. I just had to let her out. and while I'm still a little hesitant, and really surprised by the results, But now? I don’t worry about seeing some chunky girl in the mirror any more, lacking self-confidence. That woman that is sexy, confident Now I reclaim that woman in the pictures. and can do whatever she puts her mind and effort to. Because that woman IS me!

Would you recommend us to a friend?

Yes 100% I would recommend you. I would love to see my best friend Kati do a shoot like this, her and I have held each others hands this past year and made it through many challenges in our way. I would also like to see both of my sisters, my mom and or daughter do a shoot. They all are very strong women with amazing life journeys and transformations.

Thank you Elle, for seeing something in me I didn't see and that you felt my story was worth sharing with others. You are a breath of fresh air and an amazing person I also admire. This was such a great experience.