LIVING SEXY IS... All About Who I Surround Myself With
There's a crispness in the air that lets me know Summer is winding down. After a much needed break from developing new content, I'm ready to reveal this season's first Living Sexy feature - a nurturing goddess and sultry mama, Anna. I had the unexpected surprise of meeting the lovely soul that she is while shooting a wedding down in St. Thomas this summer. Side note: we may or may not have left the wedding reception to go skinny dipping in the ocean (AFTER my photography duties were over, of course). I can't begin to explain how hot it was - the reception, that is ;)
Needless to say, she immediately struck me as a cool chick who made me feel like a cool chick too. Add to that the fact that she's a mother of two precious babies and I quickly developed a girl crush that would culminate in me shooting her for the blog. I just can't help it! Some people are inspired by museums, I'm inspired by the person behind the artwork. People are my thing.
I told Anna my vision of capturing her in her element - as a mother - and she was 100% on board. At that point, I had yet to photograph a mother nursing her baby. For whatever reason, as close as I am to women of all ages and stages, it just hadn't happened. But alas, my time had come, and I knew in my heart that Anna was the perfect woman for the task. She's the type of woman who'd feel the freedom of letting me capture the special bond while breastfeeding. I knew she'd trust me in making it easy and comfortable, and that my main goal was to show her how perfect she is in this stage of life.
I'm not one to talk because I'm not a mother and I can't begin to imagine the psychological aspects of giving birth, sleep deprivation, dealing with related body issues, hormones, etc. BUT, if there's one thing I hope for when I become a mother, it's for self-acceptance + grace. Scratch that, I hope for that right now. I think a lot of us fall into patterns of judgement and dissatisfaction during times when what we really need is a little grace. Anna caught me off guard because she represents a woman who not only accepts herself but also loves herself even when her little one asks her to turn around so she can lay on her "squishy side." I'd want to stay squishy forever if my baby said that to me. Awwwwwwww.
The goal of this Living Sexy column has always been to hold a space for women to be themselves, feel loved and spread love in this community, starting with themselves. The goal of this specific post is to show you how different stages of womanhood can be beautiful, in hopes that no matter where you're at, you find grace within. I'l leave you with these special and striking images and video.
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Please note these images are quite sensitive as they portray Anna and her beautiful baby while breastfeeding. Any inappropriate comment or misuse of this content will be immediately taken down.
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Anna - I can't thank you enough for your time, beauty and trust in letting me include you in this project. Your little girls are blessed to have a mama who exemplifies self-love, playfulness and joy.
