In a recent discussion amongst acquaintances (during which I was not present), it was decided that I was a size four when this picture was taken.

Size four? I can’t remember ever being a size four, except maybe when I was four years old! At minimum I was an eight. So why am I telling you this? Because I think women are missing the best beauty secret out there.
We can buy all the creams, gels, and weight-loss pills we want, but the one thing that will truly work is to change the way we look at ourselves.
You’ve seen those pictures on Facebook, with eight or nine photos labeled “What I Think I Look Like”, “What my Husband Thinks I Look Like”, etc. It’s true that we all have different facets and other people will see us in their own way. But for me, before I had that photograph taken, the image I had in my head for myself was not pretty. I can’t even find an actual photo to post for comparison, because the worst ones are still better than my self-image at that time.
I begrudgingly booked the boudoir session at the behest of my best friend. She insisted that Sydney at Artistic Photography could do amazing pictures, even for a dumpy single mother like me. You know what? She was right. These pictures were taken nearly two years ago, and when I think about what I look like, I see this.

So ladies, if you want to truly feel pretty, don’t waste your time and money at the pharmacy. Let someone show you how beautiful you really are.
Photos courtesy of Artistic Photography by Sydney, Herrin IL. Also on Facebook.