Take the photos

In 2019 I won a photoshoot with a local photographer I admired. At first I was SO excited. I never won things & as a dancer I was bursting with photoshoot possibilities.

Then when time came to actually book the shoot I froze. My body image & self worth were in such a low place at the time & I thought to myself “maybe I’ll just wait a few months until I like my body better”.

I never did claim the prize.

In 2021 I paid a couple hundred dollars for a shoot with the same photographer. But this time I was armed with a new sense of self worth & confidence.

In those two years I did a ton of work to separate my self worth from the way I look. I started going to the gym to get stronger & feel better instead of to shrink & punish my body.

Not every day is perfect. I still have bad body image days & things I wish I could change but now I know I’m valuable as I am. No matter what.

I wish I had the photos of 2019 me. She was just as worthy and deserving of admiration as 2021 me was, and 2023 me will be. As much as I wish she had seen that I’m glad we finally got here one way or another.

If you’re not there yet, I promise you can get there. I’m here for you and rooting for you every step of the way. 🤍