Love Yourself |Boudoir Marathon Event | Charleston, West Virginia Photography
Beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin. It is about being confident and happy with who you are, inside and out. We all have room for improvement, but we have to love who we are, as we are. We were made with purpose for a purpose. Empowering women to accept their flaws and embrace their uniqueness -something I struggled with growing up- has been near and dear to my heart for a long time. We live in a society that consistently teaches us that we need to be or do something different to be better. If we are fat, we must be skinny. If we are skinny, we could be skinnier or are too skinny. If we are short, we need to wear heels to be taller. If we are too tall we should wear flats as not to be too tall. If we have curly hair we should straighten it. If we have straight hair, we should curl it. While this girly girl is all for enhancers, I think it is important to remind ourselves that we are beautiful no matter what.
So where am I going with this? Summer and I have wanted to put together a boudoir marathon (we have photographed boudoir sessions, but always as a bridal add on to our wedding packages) for a while now as a way to encourage others to be comfortable with the idea that it is okay to think you are beautiful. You are not vain or conceited. You are not flawed or unworthy. You are genuinely beautiful! We have thought hard about the way in which beauty ideals and standards are marketed to women and the emotional toil it can take on us. But we always end up putting it on the back burner. So in February when a former bride reached out and wanted to do a boudoir session Summer said, "Sure!" The client followed up with the typical not sure of herself kind of talk and Summer instantly said something like, "This has to change from a session for him to a session for you. So you can see how beautiful you are and feel confident in that!" Our client was going to have friends do it with her, but they eventually chickened out. So what did we do? We decided to schedule our boudoir marathon. The best part, we would be able to use it to kick off our new old business, switching from Snapshots by Summer to with the Linger-Hunts. ..........
We rounded up a group of girls of all shapes and sizes and threw one heck of a boudoir marathon session focusing on celebrating beauty and building confidence and self-esteem. We decked out a hotel suite in typical Linger-Hunt fashion. Fresh flowers everywhere. Pink, glad, and black and white stripe decor. Decorated donuts, lemon cakes, fresh fruit, cheese and meat trays, crackers, and humus. Macarons! And we can't forget the mimosas and champagne. We had two different selfie stations. A decorated prep room. A makeup and hair station including a fake eyelash bar. And we most certainly can't forget about the swag bags ('I Woke Up Like This' mug from Urban Outfitter, macaron from Dear Macarons, make up remover, tissues, and a nail file). To wrap it all up, we held two contests. The first, a review of their experience was placed in a bucket and a winner drawn out. The winner received a Betsey Johnson lip purse. The second contest: post a 'mugshot' with the hashtag #IWasWithTheLingerHunts using the mug in the swag bag. The winner received a gift card to the beauty supply store/salon Ulta. ................................................
What did we take away from this experience? That every girl, no matter the size, has a part of herself that she is self-conscious about. We have to find the parts we love about ourselves and focus on those. Whether you are a size 0 or size 28+ you are beautiful! ....................................
But enough of hearing me rave about the day! A few girls posted about their experience on their personal social media sites and we reached out and asked if we could share what they had to say. Read on to hear about their personal stories:
"So I decided to go out on a limb and participate in a boudoir photo session. I have been so cynical and critical about my body for the last couple of years. I would stand in front of the mirror and just cry. I was constantly telling myself things such as, "l'm not good enough. If only I could fit in those jeans. Maybe if I lose 10 more pounds she'll look at me the way she use to." I realize now that my biggest downfall was placing my value and worth in someone else's hands. It has taken me a while but I am finally strong enough to fight my mind when it whispers those negative comments and harsh criticisms.
I know that I have a daughter that is watching my every move. I want to show her how a confident, strong woman carries herself. I want to teach her to love herself from the inside out. I remind her daily that she is beautiful, that her HEART makes her beautiful.
As ironic as it sounds, being a part of this has shown me that my body truly is a work of art. It tells a story. I learned that for a woman to fully love herself she must first accept herself, flaws and all!!
Thank you Summer and Christie for such an enticing and powerful experience. #withtheLingerHunts emphasized the aspects that I love about myself while minimizing my insecurities. These ladies paid such close attention to detail and they encouraged me to embrace my personality through things I enjoy. They were able to take my small pleasures, such as literature and transform it into something cathartic and sexy! #EmpoweringWomen#YOUareBEAUTIFUL #YourBodyIsAWorkOfArt #LetItTellTheStory"
-NG on Facebook
"I had a life changing experience yesterday! "Me"... the girl with body image issues and who is self loathing over every single imperfection I have... Me. I had a boudoir photo session with the two absolute most incredible women I know!!!! Thank you Summer & Christie @withthelingerhunts for making this overly plus size woman feel like the most beautiful woman in the world! What originally was "just a photo session" has given me such confidence and pride in the woman that I am regardless of what size clothes I wear. My beauty is not defined by how large my jeans are. When I see this picture, I see beauty, and that's exactly why I'm sharing it. #nobodyshame #bigandbeautiful#youcantbringmedown #contouronfleek#iadoremakeup #blueeyedbeauty"
- JL on Instagram
Ready to embrace your beauty in a with the Linger-Hunts boudoir marathon session? Join us on Saturday, July 16, 2016! Inquire about our next boudoir marathon here.
