Verity discovered her inner strength and confidence
Verity had always struggled with her body image and shied away from the spotlight. Her boudoir photoshoot was a way for her to get out of her comfort zone and embrace her sexuality, and despite her nerves and fears - she did just that! She described her photos as showing the very best version of herself and is deservedly very proud of them. She finally has confidence in herself and her beauty, and I hope that can boost every aspect of her personal and professional life.
I’ve struggled with my self-confidence and body image for almost as long as I can remember. All those throwaway comments levelled at me as a teenager needled their way into my mind and stayed there. I fell in love with fashion and make-up as I got older but I still couldn’t shake this core belief that I was ugly, a gawky, freckled, ginger-haired stick. It probably won’t surprise you to hear that thinking about myself this way affected my relationships and my confidence and I always shied away from the spotlight, whether it was having my photo taken, going out on dates, or speaking up in a work meeting.
But as I approached my 35th birthday, I wanted to start seeing myself differently. I’d wasted enough years hating the way I look and was ready to make a change. With the support of my therapist, I started thinking about booking a boudoir shoot as a way to get out of my comfort zone, embrace my sexuality, and shift my self-perception.
The thought of being photographed in lingerie is pretty terrifying though, so it was important to me that I found a studio that made me feel safe and supported. Foxlow stood out to me as soon as I stumbled upon their website on Google. I immediately felt connected to Danielle and Jon’s approach and the values behind the studio. It’s clear that empowering women and making them feel good about themselves is at the heart of everything they do. Reading through the testimonials made me pretty emotional, all of the women’s stories were very relatable, and my decision was made easier by the shots of the studio - it looked like the perfect setting to create stunning shots!
In the weeks leading up to the shoot, I oscillated between nerves and excitement. Shopping was fun; I loved looking for pieces that I thought looked beautiful and would make me feel good rather than something functional or designed purely for the male gaze. I knew that I wanted to find pieces with a vintage feel - I love Dita Von Teese’s burlesque aesthetic - and spent a lot of time window shopping online before selecting my pieces.
Perhaps even more than the lingerie shopping, I enjoyed planning the personal items that I’d bring along to reflect my personality in the shoot. I’m a professional writer and a bit of a hopeless romantic so I wanted to show off my love of writing and poetry with my props. I’m also someone who’s happiest having a lazy Sunday at home, cosying up on the sofa with a cup of coffee and a good book, so I wanted to add an oversized knit cardigan that would remind me of how I feel on those relaxed weekend mornings.
When the shoot day finally arrived, I was incredibly nervous - and getting stuck in traffic didn’t help! Luckily, Danielle put me at ease straight away by reassuring me that I could take my time. As soon as the traffic cleared and I headed out into the Peaks, I was able to soak up the winter sunshine and rolling green hills. I immediately fell in love with Wirksworth and the picturesque surroundings definitely helped me feel that rush of excitement again.
As soon as I arrived at the studio, I received a very warm welcome from Jon, Danielle and Charlotte. I settled into the make-up chair and made the most of being pampered for the next hour. I found Charlotte really easy to chat to and it was great to find out more about how other ladies had approached their shoots in the past. She was also incredibly patient when it came to curling my long, thick hair and made sure I was comfortable with the make-up look she had planned. The results were amazing; I still looked like me, just the very best version of myself - and I loved my hair!
Jon and Danielle had spent the time while I was getting ready talking through the outfits and planning the shoot. That meant there was no awkward waiting around while we figured out what to try next. It felt strange at first, but I was surprised at how quickly I started to forget about the camera. Danielle demonstrated every pose so I always knew exactly what to do - even when my muscles weren’t so sure - and our conversation flowed throughout; we shared a lot of laughter that was captured on camera too! The time flew by - I didn’t have to worry about clock watching or waiting for it to end. In fact, it’s safe to say that I enjoyed every minute of it and felt like a huge weight had been lifted by the time I left.
When it was time to head back to the studio and see my photos for the first time, I started to panic. I’d managed to convince myself that I’d be the exception to the rule, the one person who would hate how they looked in every frame. Spoiler alert: I felt the opposite! Seeing myself up on the screen was a surreal experience. I’m naturally self-critical - I think a lot of us with confidence issues are very comfortable pointing out our flaws - but the images that Jon had captured were stunning. I was stunning. It took me a while to believe that those pictures were really me and acknowledging that finally helped me start to shift my negative mindset. Frankly, I didn’t care whether anyone else thought I looked good in the photos, I knew I did and that’s all that matters.
Rather than finding it tough to find a photo I liked, I found myself struggling to cut the selection down to 21! Luckily, Jon was very patient with me and we went through all the different poses and outfits, sometimes comparing the black and white and full colour versions before making the final selection (and enjoying a glass of Prosecco). I ended up ordering a bookbound album as well as two standalone shots.
I hadn’t planned to put my photos on display - the experience was for me, after all - but I felt so proud of the shots, and proud of the courage it’d taken to book a boudoir shoot in the first place, that I’m now going to have my standalone photos framed on my bedroom wall. I also couldn’t resist posting a couple of the close-ups on my Instagram account and the reaction from friends and family has been overwhelming. Feeling better about myself was always my primary motivation but having people I know and trust compliment my looks definitely gave me an extra boost of confidence.
The Foxlow experience has revealed an inner strength that I didn’t know I had. I have this unshakeable self-belief now. Regardless of how people react to me out in the world or how my dating life goes in the future, I feel like an attractive person and I know that I deserve to feel beautiful. I can’t overstate the difference the shoot has made to how I feel about myself.
People might find it hard to believe that just one photoshoot could cause such a massive shift, but it’s truly a unique experience. I think things start to change as soon as you make the decision to book and every step along the way bolsters your self-confidence even more. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done and my only regret is not doing it sooner!
