Client Feature Friday: Simply Seeing Me

Jezebel VonZephyr loves to shine a spotlight on womxn of every age and size. We live to connect with each client; and we pride ourselves on holding space for each of them so we can hear their stories and capture their unique spirit. We believe that every session is special in its own way, and we want to share that magic with the world. On Fridays we shine a spotlight on a client so they can share a part of their story.

Today we feature a new client who decided to do a Jezebel session because she wanted to see herself in a new way. She never considered herself to be sexy before her shoot, but afterwards? Well, read on to hear what she thinks now! 

Age:  48

Where are you from?  I’m now in Snohomish County, but have lived in SoCal, Georgia, and a gazillion places in Western Washington.

What is your theme song? I can’t think of a theme song, just music I love. If it’s by The Smiths, The Cure, or (more recently) Mother Mother, I’m in. But theme song…maybe Dance Dance Dance by Lykke Li  if I have to pick something. (This was the hardest question here. LOL!)

What are three words you’d use to describe yourself? Nurturing, patient, optimistic.

Is this your first Jezebel shoot? If not, how many have you had? This was my first, of what I know will be many.

Why did you decide to book a session with JVZ?  It was actually my husband’s idea. He met Sara through a mutual friend and we found out we were neighbors. When we found out she was part of JVZ, he encoraged me to do a session so that I could, as he put it, “finally see yourself the way that I see you”.

How did you feel before your shoot? Nervous, but excited. I was familiar with boudoir shoots as my mom had done them before. (Go, body positive mom, go!) It’s just not how I ever viewed myself and I wasn’t really sure how I was going to feel either during the shoot or after.

I was afraid I would be stiff or just… not as sexy and beautiful as I really wanted to look and feel… because that had not been part of my perceived human experience before.

I walked in afraid that I would possibly make mascara run because I might cry from feeling a way about myself that I never had before.

How was your session? What was your favorite part? My session was everything I could have wanted and more. Tiffany and Sara made me feel comfortable from the very beginning. 

Walking in, I felt like I was meeting up with long lost friends. That feeling doubled when I shared the clothing and accessories I had brought, and they shared the client closet with me. 

It was a little like going over to a friend’s house and searching through their closet for the perfect outfit and setting intentions for a night on the town. 

My favorite part was a moment somewhere in my third set where I realized how relaxed and beautiful I actually felt. I had been smiling and having fun before, but in the third set I consciously noted that I was genuinely relaxed, happy, and comfortable with myself. It was a feeling of self-worth that I rode for a number of weeks after my photo shoot. 

What was your favorite look from your session? Why? I really loved the first set with the red and black. I came in with a pair of earrings that I knew I wanted to be in my session, and Sara picked out the most perfect outfit for me. In addition, I learned from that set that I look good in red, so I have been leaning into that as I update my wardrobe.

How are you feeling since your session? I told a friend of mine that this was the best self-help thing I had ever done for myself.

The feelings of self love and positivity have carried through for months now.

Every time I look at my pictures, I remember how I felt in the moment. I have been sharing my experience with all my friends because I truly believe every person should have the experience of knowing in their heart how beautiful they are, inside and out. JVZ has a gift in being able to accomplish in a few hours what months of therapy barely touched.

Did you bring anything special with you to the studio? Why? I had some special pieces of jewelry that I wanted to incorporate, specifically earrings I wore on my wedding day and the aforementioned earrings for my first set.

I also knew I wanted to do one set “for” my husband, so I converted a short sleeve camo dress into a crop top and mini skirt just for the shoot.

Lastly, I brought some fabric I had recently woven, to give a nod to my fiber arts hobbies. I really wasn’t sure how it was all going to be included, but Sara and Tiffany were able to get every piece in a photo, which makes the photos feel more “me” than staged, even when 90% of what I was wearing was from the Client Closet.

How was your reveal? I was really nervous because I wanted to see images that looked as good as I had felt, but I also knew that I was going to be looking for my flaws.

What actually happened was that I saw myself through the lens of someone else (Sara) and it reflected what I had heard from others all along.

Beautiful, sexy, feminine, soft, ass that won’t quit–it was all there for me to see and I couldn’t deny it. It was right there! In images!!

There was one picture that showed my stomach and when I looked at it as not me, but as an image of another human, I appreciated the beauty of that soft place, that vulnerability–that might have been where my eyes watered a bit.

So often I tell friends and family to limit their negative self-talkd (“would you talk to me like that?”), but in the reveal, I realized how much of that I had been doing to myself. Looking at my pictures, I could see where I had been damaging the relationship with myself with my internal monologue.

My reveal made me get out of my head and simply SEE me.

Any advice for anyone thinking of booking a session with JVZ? Do it. You are the right age, the right shape, the right health, the right everything.

Don’t wait for someday. You are exactly who you should be for your photos right now. And when someday comes…you can book another session. 

Anything else you’d like to share? It’s impossible to share in words what an experience it is to walk into the JVZ studio with one idea of yourself and how you are in the world, and walk out a few hours later with a shift in that perspective that just sticks.

I am the person that can now see the beauty of me.

This eye opening change was possible because of who the JVZ staff are. Their open minds and hearts let everyone come as they are, and they meet you there. I am so appreciative of the gifts they have to help people see true beauty in themselves.

Are you wanting to do a boudoir session someday? Well, lovely, someday could be today! Take some inspiration from this courageous client and book your shoot! You may just end up truly, simply seeing yourself.