As a Brand Style Strategist, I’ve been on countless photo shoot sets. It is the most awesome rush of adrenaline to witness a woman gain ease in front of the camera and transform from who she used to be to who she is becoming…right before my eyes!
And yes, I see it time and time again. Women holding themselves back from stepping in front of the camera.
Instead of embodying her highest self to live the life of her dreams she holds herself back and is weighting…
Yes weighting.
I’ve seen it happen so many times. It’s the avoidance of being seen or getting in front of a camera until you have reach a certain weight goal. In the meantime, you keep playing smaller and putting everything on hold until…
I get it. I’ve been there. But I got over it.
Here’s the number one way I got over weighting…
Dress for Your Shape, Not Your Size
This was the single most significant, paradigm shifting lesson I learned and it changed my life.
I used to weigh myself daily, weekly, sometimes less but always judged myself and my camera-ready worthiness based on my weight. If it went up, I ducked the camera. If it went down, then I felt ready to be seen. All the while feeling bad about myself, not getting out there and sharing more of my gifts and meeting wonderful people.
Have you ever done that?
It’s so common and can happen to many.
I used to hide in my clothes and had body shame when I gained weight until I began to use the strategies and skills I developed and used for years with my corporate clients. I used them on myself and couldn’t believe the difference. It was as if my whole world opened up. And I did it at my top weight when I went up to a size 16 and had the most resistance to showing my shape, I thought I was too big and it felt vulnerable, to uncomfortable revealing, almost naked! But once I made the change, there was no turning back and that’s when the weight started falling off.
It happened for me and I’ve personally witnessed the life-altering shifts my clients have also enjoyed.
I recently read a quote from Meghan Trainor who felt this way too. She said “When I saw photos of myself, I would think, I look awful. There’s a double chin! I never thought I’d be a pop star. I don’t look like Rihanna.”
If Meghan never moved past her body shame and continued comparing herself to Rhianna, we never would have had the pleasure of driving down the road, singing at the top of our lungs, “I’m all ‘bout that bass, ‘bout that bass, ‘bout that bass, no treble!”
Had Meghan let her insecurities rule her life, she would be just another lovely woman with lots of talent from her neighborhood and never become an international singing star.
Instead, she made her mission more important than her fear, learned how to dress for her shape, accentuate the positives and put herself in the spotlight. As a result, she learned how to embrace her curves, appreciate her uniqueness and is living her dream!
And what if Oprah weighted? We’ve all been witness to her very public struggle with her weight and how she continues to move forward despite the fluctuating size of her thighs. Oprah has done a masterful job of embodying her brand style AND dressing for her shape at every size.
My client Lisa Steadman learned the same lesson. When Lisa first hired me, she was already talented and personable. But she was hiding in her clothes because she didn’t feel comfortable in her body. Through our work together, Lisa embraced her authentic brand style, stopped apologizing for her size and instead celebrated her shape and EVERYTHING changed! Within a few months, Lisa attracted major media attention, a talent agent at one of the top agencies in Los Angeles, and texts me the BEST photos of her wearing her brand style on the way to various pitch meetings with networks and production companies.
She embraced her authentic brand style, moved from hiding in her clothes to covering up what she perceived was negative, shapely hips and thighs. She started dressing for her shape to celebrate her curves and everything changed!
When you reflect your brand style and dress for your body shape, you become authentically aligned. You gain more comfort being seen. You gain a natural confidence. You move in the world differently, unapologetically and that attracts all the right people into your life, it’s magnetic!
If visibility and being seen to promote your business and brand is scary then this class is perfect for you.
This Wednesday, I’m teaching a brand new class for you and it’s absolutely free. If you’ve ever wondered:
- The biggest visibility roadblocks women in business face every day
- Why now is YOUR time to step into the spotlight and be authentically visible
Or if the very idea of using your image in your business and brand is scary then this class is perfect for you.
Please join me on Wednesday, September 23rd at 2pm PST / 4pm CST / 5pm EST, where I’ll share my top 3 secrets for you to get Camera Ready Confidence. Click here to register.
You’ll walk away with practical strategies you can begin using right away to feel comfortable in your body, calm camera fears, grow your brand presence and gain clarity in your offering.
Click here to sign up for this very special complimentary training Webinar. If you can’t make it live, I will send you the replay to watch at your convenience.
I can’t wait to share my passion for Camera Ready Confidence with you so that you can begin building a memorable and magnetic brand presence.