For this mom, boudoir led to a cathartic cry
Miranda: persevering, hard-working and a little lost
When we met Miranda, she struck us mostly as someone with an indomitable spirit, persevering, hard-working, shining for others, and simply tackling what life doles out without complaint. As she opened up to us, we discovered that while she is indeed all that, she harbors a wistfulness that she’s also a little lost. And that’s how, for her, boudoir led to a cathartic cry.
A work-from-home mom of three, Miranda’s energies are divided between a demanding job by day and the needs of her little ones, the youngest of whom was born prematurely in 2021 and is still working through medical challenges that require monitoring and attention.
“It’s hard to see ourselves as we are when we’re in the thick of life,” she said. “Whether that be raising children or working through significant life events it’s easy to lose ourselves.”
A winning attitude
It’s not that the demands are too much; it’s just that they’re always there, or not far away, at least, and Miranda’s always on call.
Mind you, Miranda loves her gaggle. Their laughter brings her joy. Her dogs and cats bring her joy as well. As do good books and an occasional flute of champagne.
Her awareness of those little things, the small joys, and her appreciation for the all-too-infrequent interludes in which she finds peace in the midst of so much cacophony, resonated with us. She was a finalist in a 2022 promotion we ran and ultimately won the boudoir experience that we asked her to talk about for this post.
Why we do what we do
Up front, Miranda says, “The [boudoir] experience was one of a lifetime. I will never forget it. I felt like a treasured soul. I felt like I mattered. I felt like I was allowed to be myself and who I am is enough.”
“I left feeling like the most beautiful woman,” she said. ” “I cried all the way home in the car. I felt empowered and like me. Just me.”
That is exactly why we love what we do. Full stop. But let’s backtrack to the lead-up to her session and the anticipation she felt on the drive to the studio.
“I was absolutely petrified,” she recalled. “I played a lot of uplifting sassy music to pump myself up.”
Petrified, because over the previous couple of years, like so many of us living through the pandemic, she’d fallen out of shape and felt like she’d aged a decade. Lovely as she is, all she could think about were the bits that weren’t where they used to be before kids and lots of hours at the computer.
“We become our worst critic,” she said. “And if we constantly tell ourselves the negative, it becomes all we see.”
Which is why we show every woman we work with that she’s more than the negatives she feeds on. To us, the physical characteristics that society teaches us to call flaws are really just distinctions that make us perfectly unique — and interesting.
Time for posing
So Miranda’s at the studio, and we’re getting past her nerves.
“Ultimately I did need a little liquid courage,” she said. “David and Jill definitely helped encourage me and the 60 second wardrobe change left little time to critique myself!”
To future clients: that reference to the 60-second wardrobe change is a procedural policy with purpose. We want to have lots of time to get lots of photos, and we can’t do that if you’re in the dressing room picking at your outfit for 10 minutes. And, as Miranda stated, it keeps you from dwelling on the basket of negatives you might have sneaked into the studio with you.
When her makeover was complete, we did some coaching first, and then we dove right in with posing, shooting, and rotating through outfits.
“The shoot was amazing but also challenging! David & Jill have perfected the art of posing a model! It’s hard work and you’ll be surprised at how sore you may feel afterwards! It was such an incredibly uplifting, powerful, and meaningful experience: one I will never forget!”
Reflecting on the experience
Her ride home gave her lots of time to reflect on that, as well as the mixed bag of emotions that her experience elicited.
“Honestly when I headed home I thought: RAWR! 🙂 I cried too though. I was overcome by my feelings of feeling flawed and inadequate. I was excited but also nervous to see the images. Would I like them? Would I feel worse or would I feel empowered?”
As always, we’re smug about such worries. We brought Miranda back a couple of weeks after her shoot, and she was simply floored.
“It was so hard to pick my favorites! There were so many!” she said. “Surprisingly, I ended up loving the outfits that were not my ‘usual’. Jill has a knack for putting together an ensemble that might feel out of your comfort zone, but when you see yourself in it, you’ll be amazed! I couldn’t believe it was ME!!”
Miranda’s advice
To any woman who’s on the fence about trying an experience like this, Miranda says, “Do it.”
“First, it doesn’t have to be anything you don’t want it to be,” she said. “This is about you and no one else. This is about what you need to see in yourself. I needed the validation and that is okay. After three children, my body has changed, and it’s hard to accept that change at times, but I’m on my way.”
“Second, love yourself. Not because you’re putting others last, but because you always put others first, and this is your time to SHINE! Understand you will feel afraid, and that’s normal. But know that you’ll see yourself in a new way. You’ll learn to love yourself in spite of the flaws.”
“Your imperfections are what make you perfect!”
