Miss V’s Story

There are some women who walk into the studio carrying a story you can feel before they ever say a word. Miss V was one of them.

She told me her nerves were so bad the day before that her stomach was in knots. She admitted that if she hadn’t already paid in full, fear would have convinced her to cancel. She walked in quiet, overexplaining in that way anxiety makes you do when you’re trying to hold yourself together.

But even through the nerves, she showed up. And showing up when you’re scared is one of the bravest things a woman can do.

Once she sat down for Hair and Makeup, something shifted. She softened and got chatty. You could feel her body beginning to trust that she was safe here, that this space wasn’t asking her to perform or prove anything. It was asking her to breathe.

She brought several outfits and looked incredible in every single one. But I could tell she was defaulting to the safer options. So I gently encouraged her to try a two-piece instead of staying in her usual bodysuits. She hesitated, but she trusted me enough to step outside of her comfort zone.

The moment she saw herself in it, she lit up. She didn’t expect to look that good, and that reaction alone told me how long she’s been doubting herself.

During her session she kept checking if she was “doing it right,” which broke my heart a little. So many women have been made to feel like they are too much or not enough. Like their bodies are something to hide or apologize for. But each time I showed her the back of the camera and she saw the truth staring back at her, she laughed and covered her mouth in disbelief. The transformation was happening right in front of us.

The reveal is the moment I will never forget. She was shocked. Amazed. Quiet in that deep emotional way that only happens when something lands in your soul. She loved every single image. For a woman who once believed she wasn’t enough, seeing herself through a gentler, truer lens was powerful.

Her story is a reminder that fear is loud, but it doesn’t get the final say. Healing isn’t dramatic. Sometimes it’s as simple and brave as walking into a room you almost talked yourself out of, and letting yourself be seen again.

Miss V showed up scared, but she didn’t let fear win.

And she left seeing a version of herself she thought was gone forever.