A Conversation with the JVZ Fan Club President

Because of the heartfelt work that the Jezebel team does, we often find that women become big fans of our studio and return for multiple photo shoots over many years. One of those women has dubbed herself the “Unofficial Fan Club President” of JVZ. Her name is Missie and she’s been a fan and advocate of Jezebel VonZephyr and the work we do for many years. Krissy, the JVZ blogger, sat down with her for a conversation recently to hear all about her journey and why she calls herself our Fan Club President!

Krissy: Thank you so much for talking with me, Missie. To get started, I just want to hear about your journey. How did you find Jezebel? When was your first shoot? What was it like?

Missie: Funny story. I don’t even remember how I exactly found it. I’d been diagnosed with cancer, so I was bound and determined to get through a bucket list. I was that person–it was always on my bucket list, and it was just something that I wanted to do. 

Their website had a call for model reps. (Note: they’re now called Brand Ambassadors.)  I was like, “sure, why not?” So I submitted my application, then Sara called and asked if I would come to a meet and greet. There was something about it–there was this energy.  I had talked to a couple of other places. But I didn’t have the same kind of feeling I got with Sara. I was super excited about it so I did a shoot. I showed up with a couple of outfits. I got a couple of things that mixed and matched out of what they had in the client closet. The client closet then was nothing like it is now. 

Krissy: Oh yeah. Now it’s awesome! 

Missie: Yeah! It’s glorious! It was a lot smaller back then. 

Missie: I did my first shoot because I really wanted to leave my husband and my children with pictures that were decent. Because there are very few photos of me other than my wedding and engagement photos. I just wanted decent pictures of me in case there was a memorial service. 

I almost called and told them I wasn’t coming, but I changed my mind. I don’t know what happened on the way there, but I thought, “I don’t think I can do this.”

I was sick to my stomach.

But then I thought that a bucket list item is something you want to do and you do it scared. So I got there, and the first thing I said to her was “yeah, I almost didn’t come.”

And Sara said “yeah, I hear that a lot!”

Krissy: It’s so normal. I almost turned back around at least five different times driving over for my first shoot!

Missie: I got there and was like, “this is it.” I used to do my makeup and hair all the time, so I didn’t think I would look very different. But there was something about it. Where things started to change, I think, was at the reveal–really seeing the pictures.

During the session Sara asked me if I wanted to see the back of the camera. And I said no. So I didn’t do that little sneak peek.

Krissy: Really?!?

Missie: Yeah! I look too nervous! I had it in my head that I’m not photogenic, that I don’t look good on a camera.  And I’ve joked that Sara is the only one that gets a good picture of me. So, no, I didn’t want to see it. 

But seeing them at the reveal, I thought “that’s not me.” I thought maybe she softened up the lens or did a lot of editing. But she didn’t. Sara was like “that’s really you!”

I was just super thrilled. I don’t think that there was anything in them that I didn’t like. I loved the whole feel of it. 

For me, posting the pictures and the conversations that it evoked from other people was where the processing and magic happened. Almost everybody had really great things to say and wanted to know about my experience.

Missie: I think that people often think that they need to get naked, and that’s what a boudoir session is. Or it’s a glorified glamor shot that doesn’t even look like you. I definitely didn’t want that either. 

So to see that they looked like me and that she captured little moments where I didn’t realize she was snapping a picture. Those candid shots end up being some of my favorites.

Krissy: Those are always my favorites! 

Missie: There’s like one where my mouth is wide open and laughing and I think that’s where so I quickly became a fan, obviously. So I started touting myself as the “unofficial president of the JVZ fan club”.

I thought “I don’t know if you have a fan club or not, but I’m just creating it.”

Missie: I love seeing the women that I referred to Jezebel and how much they’ve grown. I’ve had one that was going through a divorce and didn’t think she looked good and then went there and was like, “oh, yeah–I am hot!”

I think that’s another reason why I can’t speak highly enough of Jezebel. The growth is just unmatched.

There’s more to it than just photos. There’s this energy that I think is really needed by most women, whether they want to admit it or not. It’s not just from getting compliments about looking great–that fades.

You can feel great when you get those compliments, but really being lifted up during the session and then seeing that come through in your pictures is a completely different experience. 

Missie: You can go back to those photos and remember how you felt. I think that that’s the great thing about the Jezebel experience. I’ve had other friends that have done shoots with other people and never got that kind of feeling. They don’t have that emotional bond to them, and I think that that makes a difference. 

Krissy: Yes!! I think so, too. You just put your finger on something really different and special about Jezebel. It is that bond–because you trust Tiffany and Sara, and they’re able to capture that. So there’s this whole other emotional level to the photos that you instantly remember when you see them, even if it’s years later.

Missie:. That’s what makes it special and unique about them. Yeah. 

Krissy: What did processing look like for you after your first session and after you saw the photos and looking at them over time?

Missie: Well, I thought I looked pretty darn good! I then did a Soul2Soul session, and that cut through some stuff and made me realize I had body issues even though I didn’t think I did. 

Before that I didn’t realize the negative self-talk that I always did. I wouldn’t say that I was negative completely, but there are times when I’d say things like  “you’re not getting your bum in that”, and I don’t want that for my girls. I don’t want that! I mean, I always tried to make sure that wasn’t something that was said, but obviously I still said those types of things.

Doing the Soul2Soul session really got down to the nitty gritty of it. Tiffany is awesome with that. It was like cracking myself open and not realizing that I needed to be cracked open.

And so it was really raw, and I think that my second session was even more powerful than my first one.

Krissy: Is that the one where you had your blanket and the books and the incense?

Missie: No, actually, that’s not that one. That was session number three. During the Soul2Soul, my second session, I still felt like I was not at all capable of just wearing a blanket then. I was wearing something, and Tiffany’s like, “go ahead and open it up a little” and I was like “yeah…no.”

With the Buddhist set–the ironic thing is that I was probably at my heaviest and I felt good in my skin and felt comfortable, obviously, baring all. Basically, I didn’t have anything with the blanket, so I was really baring all.

And those were also the ones where I got the most negative responses when I shared some of them! And it wasn’t from men. It was from women, and women that I thought were friends!  

Missie: Up until that point, I had some really good experiences with sharing my photos. And then  I had someone messaged me and said something like “oh, my gosh, I can’t believe that you’re setting this example for your daughters. What’s gotten into you? You just think you’re just something else now that you’ve been doing this.”

She said I was embarrassing my children, and I should think about them.

It was a pretty nasty message. It felt like a big kick in the gut. My first reaction was to think “okay, maybe I’ll just go ahead and delete a bunch of stuff.”

And then I got mad.  I thought “wait a second. Who are you to say?”

Her other comment, was like “well, you’re getting older, and you’re not as good looking as you used to be.” So I got mad and thought “you don’t get to say that. My morals and beliefs may be different than yours, but on the other hand, why can we not all appreciate what the body does?”

My body has gone through hell and back, and I’m pretty appreciative of it.

I might not have ever been that appreciative of it before, but there was a time where I thought it was totally working against me. But also: I’ve brought some really wonderful babies, now young adults and adults, into this world because of that body. It’s done some pretty amazing things.

Krissy: I love that. I like that your initial reaction was to maybe start to feel some shame, but then you were able to kind of stop that and be like,” no, that’s wrong,” and really reverse that. That shows so much growth.

Missie: Shame is on you, not me. 

And that’s one of the things that I know that BAs have all dealt with at some point: how are other people going to respond to these things, these posts and conversations? And it talks more about who they are (the people judging) than what you’re doing or who you are.

Being vulnerable and opening up about your journey in who you are and your body is as brave as it can get.

Does Missie’s story resonate with you or inspire you? She has been on a path of growth and self-love for many years and we’re so thrilled that she’s sharing some of her wisdom with us!

Come back next week for Part II of our conversation, where we talk about creativity in sessions, feeling seen in the studio, and processing the many, many feelings we have after a Jezebel session.

And if you’re feeling inspired and want to take the plunge yourself, schedule your session now! We have limited availability for fall, so if you want to jumpstart your own journey of self-love now is the time to take the leap!