Boudoir is for ALL shapes and sizes!
Why do we 'hate' our bodies??
Who dictates what a 'perfect' body is?
And why?
Beauty is in all shapes and sizes...
We can be 'big' and have a beautiful figure!
And those scars??
Those scars tell a story - a story of survival - a story of strength - a story of courage and of love!
And what's more beautiful than that?
I have been coming across this a lot lately.
Too much!
Lovelies that would love to do a boudoir shoot - it's something that they've wanted to do for a while now - BUT
They are ashamed of their body.
They need to go to the gym for just a few more weeks.
They don't like their scars.
They are not 20 something anymore.
I am all for - wanting to better yourself - wanting to be a better you
But how about we embrace that journey too - and be happy along the way?
Without that journey - theres nothing to measure how far you've come.
So that journey itself is something to be proud of.
I feel sad that there is so much self-consciousness / self-hate...
But it also makes me think about this strong and beautiful woman - who despite everything - jumped right in and did it anyway!
" My beautiful friend (Emma) took me to the spa today to get all gussied up - followed by a photoshoot. It took everything inside of me not to break down in tears. This past year has been a roller coaster ride of emotional events that have forever changed my life and my body.
One year ago, I gave birth to my beautiful baby Clara. I was having a natural birth at home and everything was like a beautiful dream that turned into a mom’s worst nightmare. Clara came into this world not breathing. I laid in the birthing tub while EMT, midwives and firefighters intubated my daughter and then off to the hospital we went. That was the beginning of our long journey.
To make a long story short - Clara has a rare genetic disorder called CHARGE Syndrome. She was born with no airways in her nose, a hole in each of her eyes, glaucoma, two holes in her heart and is profoundly deaf. We spent the first three months of her life at the Stollery and countless times after that where she has had 11 surgeries with more to come....
Throughout this time I have ignored myself while taking care of Clara, my other daughter (Nadia) and my husband. When Clara was born I was unable to lay down and rest. I gave birth to her, went into shock and was unable to deliver the placenta without medical intervention. They stitched me up at home on my own bed! And then, running on adrenalin, I was driven to the hospital where I spent the next three months - walking on hard floors, sleeping in chairs, pumping and living out of a suitcase. It was so bad that I ripped all my stitches and my body just never had the time to ‘click’ back together. Consequently, I now have diastase recti. I literally stretched my abdomen 6" wide from my breast bone all the way down to my belly button. I also have a hernia that I can fit four fingers in. To top it off - I'm the heaviest I have ever been at 200 lbs - and not feeling very good about myself.
I decided it was time to transform myself and my way of thinking - I decided to be like my daughters - to be brave and be beautiful.
To love yourself unconditionally - is emotionally hard. To look in the mirror and see the beauty from within, also shine on the outside - is hard. Thankfully today the awesome team at Spasation (Whyte Ave) brought that confidence to the surface - so I could shine. They simply polished what has always been there and made me feel like a princess for a day.
With my new look my beautiful friend (from Pretty As a Picture Photography) transformed not only my body through her photography art - but transformed my thoughts and feelings about myself.
I'm 200 lbs and look great! I am strong, confident and am proud of my journey - and how my body has supported me through it.
What could be more beautiful than that?
Thank you Pretty as a Picture Photography and Spasation (Whyte Ave) for supporting my body journey and making this mom a princess for a day! "
AND
She plans on doing another!! HIGH FIVE!!
Louise talks about her 'new look'
But truth is - this is just Louise!
This is Louise how I see her (but usually wearing more clothes, hehe!!)
And now she sees it too!