#LOVEYOURSELF 2018 WINTER EDITION
The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23
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The #LoveYourself campaign was launched in Feb 2017 to recognise women who pour so much of themselves into various activities and commitments, often forgetting about themselves in the process. It was our way of saying Thank You! for being the strong women you are, to take a moment to #LoveYourself and be reminded of the beauty that lies within YOU.
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My name is Gitisha, I’m 42, married with 2 children. My daughter is 13, and my son is 10. My great grandfather came to New Zealand in the 1930’s from India. My mother was born in NZ so I am am second generation kiwi. My husband is from Fiji. I met him when I was studying. Before we got engaged we both discussed what the expectations were for me after children. I’ve always wanted to raise my own kids and be a stay home mother. I grew up with my mum being a stay home mum and then going to work. I remember how much she had to give up to go back to work. We as kids loved it when she was not working. She used to bake, do gardening and be less stressed. It was a norm for her generation of ladies in our culture to be homemaker. I have being a stay home mum since the birth of my children. I love dropping my son to school, chatting with the teachers and other mums. I take pride in making sure the washing is done daily, the dogs are walked, the grocery, the cleaning and cooking prep all done before kids pick up time. It is my responsibility to be on top of all the childrens school timetables, scheduling their after school activities, making sure they stay on top of school work.
However, being a homemaker I found it was very easy for my children and husband to take what I do for granted. My husband use to joke about what I did in a day. I think he thought I just watched tv all day lol. I felt a little pressured so decided in 2015 to get a job. My job required me to work shifts so I was either gone early or came home late. This soon became a reality for my family who enjoyed the novelty at first but soon realized that cooking, cleaning, walking dogs and shopping for food was daunting. My husband hinted that maybe I should leave my job. The only reason I left was to get my children’s school and music back on track and to be able to cook their meals as takeaway was becoming more frequent. In this generation, it seems that women are expected to go back to work, to contribute to the household income. I was always too embarrassed to tell people I was a stay home mum, I felt judged and uncomfortable, I felt like I didn’t do enough financially. Because of this, I never spent much money on personal well-being like spas treatments and gym. I usually just do my own nails and eyebrows.
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In the last 2 years since leaving work, I’ve decided I need to focus on my physical health, so now I go to a ladies boot camp and pilates. I think as stay home mums, it’s easy to feel guilty to do things for yourself. I still don’t get my nails or any beauty treatments, only very occasionally as I consider that a luxury. I’m proud to be a stay home mum, I have a busy schedule, I make sure my children eat homemade nutritious meals, my dogs are walked daily, the house is always tidy and there is clean washing everyday. So this is for all the hard working mums that silently going about their daily routine without wanting anything in return. I have always wanted to have a photo shoot. I grew up being overweight and always felt unattractive. I’m not the best at doing my makeup and don’t like my photos. I would love to actually feel good about a photo of me. A professional photo with a makeover. I’ve always thought of how it would feel to be a celebrity for just a day, someone doing your make up properly to hide the flaws and taking photos. It would be so exciting. No daily chores, just a pamper session for me. I was a little nervous going into the shoot with silly questions. What if I don’t know how to pose, what if my makeup looks too much, what if I don’t photograph well. As soon as I walked in I was greeted and made to feel at home. I got to put all my outfits on a rack ready for the shoot. We had great laughs while putting on makeup and soon we were talking like friends. It was great to be asked what I felt comfortable with. I’m not great with makeup so trusted Annalise to go ahead with her profession flair. Annalise did such a fabulous job of my makeup with her calm and patient personality.
Gitisha Ranchhod
The photographer was amazing. He was very professional and came up with good ideas. I was asked what my good side is, I said I don’t really know, I don’t think I have one. That broke the ice and we had a little giggle. With the knowledge he had, I was directed to do different angles and soon we found out I had a good side. The directions was easy and comfortable to follow. A big thanks to the team at STUDIO81 for making my day special and fun. It was a blast. Loved my experience!
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My sister nominated me for the #LoveYourself campaign and I couldn’t thank her enough for the experience. Being the 2 crazy sisters we are, we actually nominated each other and were very lucky to be there to support each other during our shoots. At almost 42, it’s difficult when all your friends are in relationships, and you feel you have so much to give. Although I’m a strong, determined, faithful, caring soul, my confidence has taken quite a few knocks. I know that I actually have an amazing single life at the moment, but there’s been some tough roads to take to get here. I’ve made it through an unexpected and messy divorce, met a few reptiles while looking for a relationship (my dating experience would make a great book), and have a pretty concerning health issue which causes me to pass out with no warning. I’m having numerous tests, and as a result, needed to go on some medication which has impacted my weight. To be involved in this experience was something I’d only dreamed of doing. I’ve been a little lost for a few years. I’m always there for everyone else both professionally and personally, but I’ve recently started to look out for me. I had always wanted some sensual boudoir shots done, and by doing them, they took me completely out of my comfort zone. Jeff and Annalise made me feel relaxed and at ease during these photos, and we had so much fun doing them. It was just incredible to see myself looking the way I did, and when I received my photos, I just couldn’t believe I looked like that. Ladies, if you’re wondering if you should do this – don’t spend another minute thinking about it – just do it. I promise you will never look back & regret it!
Janine Phillips 06
I guess I’ve always been the high achiever of the family, and had been successful at absolutely everything I did; from tap dancing to athletics. I’d represented Auckland and New Zealand at numerous athletic events over the years, and always been in the top handful of people. Unfortunately, I suffered a couple of injuries and then started gaining weight. I wasn’t happy with my weight when I got married, and then when she fell pregnant with my first child, my weight just ballooned. I started to suffer from post-natal depression, and my family stopped seeing me in photos as I just wasn’t happy within myself. I did lose a little bit of weight before falling pregnant with my second child, after he was born, I suddenly found the confidence to join WeightWatchers.
healthy as possible and I kept the weight off, but my selfconfidence and anxiety got really bad. My determination kept me together and over this time I started my own Bootcamp business. Then a few years ago, I got back into full time work doing what I love - teaching kids sports in schools. I carried on with everything despite feeling so low mentally and physically, but as a result, I regularly didn’t make it out of the house, and couldn’t go to events due to the pain and anxiety.
My journey saw me losing over 30kg successfully over a year. As a result, I started to look at clothes differently; going from oversized mens jumpers and jeans, to wearing maxi-dresses, makeup and shiny sparkly things, and wanting to go shopping to make that effort again. I’d always been the tom boy in the family, and it was nice to finally feel great in my own skin again.
I recently hit rock bottom, and as hard as it was, I had to admit to family that I just wanted things to end – it broke their hearts – but without their support, I couldn’t have gotten the help I needed. I was so nervous when my sister said she’d nominated me for the #LoveYourself Campaign, but the team supported me through the session, and during the photo shoot I just felt so empowered, gorgeous and loved.
A few years ago I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (a debilitating disorder with widespread body pain, fatigue and anxiety amongst other things). I got so bad at one stage that I couldn’t even pick my son up when he fell over, and I had to use a wheelchair for any long distance walking. Throughout this time though, I was determined to stay as
My daughter’s first comment when she saw the photos was “Mummy you look like a model!” I will forever remember that and the feeling that this experience has given me.
Michelle Finch
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Hi! My name is Stacy and I am a 40 year old mother of two girls. I am an officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy and work in a high pressure logistics role supporting our ships and other deployable units. My partner works in Wellington so during the week it is just the girls and I. I find that routine is good, it gets us through the week but before I know it, a week has gone and with all the busyness of getting kids to school and daycare, working, maintaining a home, feeding the pets etc etc I have not paid attention really to any one single thing; particularly myself. I just wish time would stop and let me take a breath! I guess I look in the mirror these days and see the wrinkles, the sagging skin, the tired eyes and I hate it. I hate it because it only seemed like yesterday that the face looking back at me was fresh and bright. So it seems like it tells a story that I can’t quite remember..its then become the way I see myself every time and the way that I think others look at me too as I have lost my ability to see the beautiful me. When Annalise asked me what I thought personalised makeover was for me it was an opportunity to get pampered rather than do the pampering and provided an opportunity to see myself in a different light than how I currently do. I work in
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the military and wear uniform. I come home, tend to the kids, do the housework slop around. The weekends are dedicated to the kids, the house and friends so I actually truly cannot remember the last time I was truly pampered. So my time with the team at STUDIO81 was fun. I was a bit anxious at first and highly doubtful that my selection of clothing, grabbed in a rush, would be any good. I did take a moment to wonder where all my self confidence had gone because I would have not felt this full of self doubt in my 20s. Perhaps it is part of getting older as a woman I mused. But it all worked out and the photo shoot was great and the end products were even better. So my take away from this experience was the ability to see the beautiful me again.
Stacy Craigie
When I happened to stumble the STUDIO81 Facebook post looking for potential candidates for the #LoveYourself makeover and photo shoot, I initially thought it was way outside of my comfort zone, and quickly skipped past. A while later when it still lingered in my mind, I revisited the post and decided life is too short to be boring. These opportunities don’t come about everyday. When I learnt I had been chosen as a participant, I was initially nervous, but soon became excited. For me, a personalized photo shoot meant the chance to see myself in a different light than I do every other day of the year, and it would allow me the opportunity to feel great about myself (and who doesn’t want to be pampered?!). As a fulltime working Mum, and Fibromyalgia sufferer who deals with regular bouts of pain and fatigue, life can easily become a blur of tasks, a challenge of getting through each day and crossing off the ‘to do’ list. Each day becomes about functioning and surviving, and we end up losing ourselves amongst it all. For me, this opportunity was about finding ‘me’ again, and celebrating who I am as a person. I nervously made my way to the Studio on a busy Friday morning in Newmarket, with my suitcase in tow, and was instantly impressed at the vibe of the place. Annalise was amazing, so friendly and personable, and the nerves quickly subsided. The next few hours flew by in a blur of makeup, eyelashes, clothing changes, and camera clicks! Jeff was fantastic, so relaxed but knew exactly what he was doing. The odd glimpse of myself in the mirror would startle me… ‘who was that lady that I hadn’t seen before?!’ When the time came to view the photos I was skeptical… ‘how could I possibly look ok when I’d never done this before?’ I was pleasantly surprised with the results… the photos were GREAT! Looking back now, the photo shoot and makeover helped me regain some confidence in myself, and made me realize that we are all beautiful no matter how we feel inside. Having fibromyalgia has meant limitations with physical activity, and combined with medications, an increase in my body weight. This often gets me down, but having the chance to see for myself that it’s not all bad was the best thing ever.
The #LoveYourself campaign definitely shows us that we come in all shapes and sizes, and loving ourselves and being proud of who we are is such an important part of our daily happiness.
Bronwyn Southall
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A mum at the age of 19, and sole wage earner in my household meant working on my career more than full time; rasing my 3 children, supporting 2 of them through serious illness; being and doing everything for everyone else; husband of 27 years, family, friends and foe. I was made redundant, close to burn out, my 46th birthday was looming I had both pysically and mentally had it, I knew it was time to get of the treadmill and reset my way of being, I knew I had to make time for me or risk losing myself and losing everything I was working so hard to nuture and support. Being accepted to be part of the #loveyourself campaign at STUDIO81 was one of the steps in my journey of self discovery, self love, resetting, and retraining my brain. After all, if you dont love yourself, you cannot possibly truly love and support those around you.
Believe in You always! Be Bold, have the courage to be You! Say what you feel, feel what you say, do what you love! Be Brave take a deep breath and do it! Be beautiful on the inside you will shine on the outside, shine baby shine. Wake up early. Drink Coffee. Work hard, Be Ambitions. Keep your priorities straight. Your mind right and Your head up. Do what you Love, Love what you do. It is time to start living, so make time for YOU! #loveyourself Thanks to the team at STUDIO81 for making the experience more than just a makeover and photoshoot and thanks for being part of my journey.
Billie Giles
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Hi my name is Lucy, I have definitely lost myself somewhere in the past, ooooo, lets say 10 years. I am a 35 years old and married. 10 years ago we had endured a vey bad experience with an ectopic pregnancy and found we couldn’t have any of our own, thats when I believe I started to let go. We were offered IVF but I had to loose weight as I was a plus size. I’m in my mid/late 40’s, am the mother of 4 beautiful boys (age 20, 19, 13 and 11), and now have my first grandson. My family are really important to me, so where possible, I’ve tried to build a little flexibility in my working life to ensure I can be there for school plays, coaching sports teams, or grand baby sitting. With this in mind I set up my own company (www. theplaygroundcpm.com) to create the career I wanted along with that flexibility of time. Along with my business, I have a social enterprise I set up that collects useable medical equipment that won’t be used here in NZ and distributes that to health providers who work with people in need in the Asia Pacific region - www.takemyhands.org. About three years ago I met my partner. He and his two girls live in Northland, so we are working through distance, blended families, and second time around challenges that exist when you partner up again at our age. When I’m not doing work of family stuff, I’m either surfing or trying to finish a house I bought a while ago that is a renovators dream or nightmare - depending on what day you ask me.
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So its pretty busy round the clock, and I love that .... but it doesn’t leave much time for ‘me’. I saw the STUDIO81 ad on Facebook and thought that it’s been a very very long time since I ‘frocked up’ and looked more like a woman, and less like something dragged through a hedge backwards. The whole experience was great. I felt special, and looked after. The photo shoot wasn’t as confronting as I thought it might be. The whole team made me feel really comfortable. I am really happy with the photos taken too.
Janette Searle
About 5 years ago in September 2013, my husband passed away after losing his year long battle with cancer. He went from seemingly young healthy man one day to shell of a person. Not only did my two sons - 5 and 3 years of age at time lose their father, I lost the only man I have either loved. We had been together for almost half my life by that point and it was by far the better half of my life. When he died I part of me died with, and I was very tempted to go down the path of destruction involving drugs, sex and alcohol. My only saving grace at the time was my two boys, who were very young and had just lost their father and I was not going to let feel the lose of a mother as well.
As time passed and I felt ready to venture out into the world of dating I realised I no longer felt confident or desired. I know part of that stemmed from not being with anyone for a long time, but also because dating was not what it used to be when I met my late husband, Tinder was not around then, neither was Netflix and Chill, DTF, bread crumbing or ghosting or whatever else new is there now. So after a few of these experience you start to wonder and doubt yourself. Not only that I was getting older and had children so my body is not what it used to be. All those perfect selfies does not help and neither does new world of dating. This photo shoot was my opportunity to be selfish, to feel desired, attractive and confident as a woman.
The only way I could cope was to almost switch of emotionally, not consciously but I did. This meant I could get on with life and just be there for my boys. Outwardly I was doing fine especially as the boys were settled in the new routine, and I decided to change careers which met working full-time and studying part-time as well as being a mum to two beautiful boys.
I have to say my experience was exactly that. From the moment I walked into the studio I felt like the centre of attention. It was all about me. The makeup and hair looked amazing thanks to Annalise and I looked beautiful but for me the real test was how I would photo. I do not like being in front of cameras and do not consider myself photogenic. I am glad to be proven wrong and the photos speak for itself.
I retrained as an Authorised Financial Advisor and used my personal story and, experience to help people on their journey to financial independence especially women because as they are the ones often taking time off to look after their loved ones or children, are generally paid less than their male counterparts, live longer so their savings need to last longer and do not always feel confident with investments or what to do with money.
So thank you for giving me back my confidence.
Radhika Beetham 013
With the exception of niggly grey hairs popping up in place of what was once your natural, Mother Nature gifted hair colour and crow’s feet appearing at even the slightest break of a smile, getting older isn’t that bad at all. Quite the contrary. I look back at my younger self and although the trappings of life over the past two decades weren’t yet manifested in my physical attributes, I wouldn’t turn the clock back one minute. Life is about progression, not perfection. Time only moves forward, does not stand still and certainly does not go back. As entities in this universal melting pot, we too keep moving with time. Our only limitation is ourselves and we set the boundaries.. There’s something very beautiful, liberating and fulfilling about reaching that point in life where you accept things for the way they are and learn to let go of what you cannot control. We cannot change people or their value systems but we can change or control how we react and we can even choose whether or not we wish to interact with them. We spend our lives growing and maturing and something I realised is that this journey does not end. Learning is to our souls what water is to nature. We need it to survive, it enables us to flourish. We each have complete control over our destiny, our emotions and if it doesn’t serve you it’s not worth pursuing. These teachings enhance our inner soul and radiate in such positive ways that we do not even notice. I feel grateful for each day that I am blessed to be on this fascinating earth, enjoying my health and my two gorgeous children. Thank you to STUDIO81 for the opportunity to join in their campaign and to personally challenge myself in a way I had always wanted to but couldn’t quite muster up the courage to. I’ve now ticked another personal accomplishment off my list and have for life some very precious photos.
Noelle Hamilton
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I begin with this quote As a mother and a wife......... Emotional, yet the rock Tired, but keeps going, Worried, but full of hope Impatient, yet patient, Over wheeled, but never quits Amazing, even though doubted. Wonderful, even in the chaos. Life changer, every single day. And Life must go on........ But for 1 day it was time to think about myself, think about me and me only. Joining the team at STUDIO81 for the #loveyourself campaign was easy and a confidence boost for my inner self to feel amazing, relaxed, and a sense of self worth again. I’m not overly confident with my smile, or having my photo taken, but Jeff made me relax and feel secure in all the shots. My hair and makeup looked fantastic and it was very relaxing sitting in the chair being pampered, with great conversations and laughs. After my day with STUDIO81, I was able to reflect on the goodness of my life, and I am so blessed in life with surviving cancer at a young age and having a great husband and 3 beautiful children. At times like this it makes my whole world shine to have a perfect balance. Thank you to the team at STUDIO81 for a wonderful day that was all about me!
Sally Parker
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We landed in Auckland, New Zealand on the 5th March 2018, and suddenly I felt like I was in unchartered territory. You can prepare for a relocation mentally, and the possibilities of starting a new life abroad always look more glamorous from afar, but the reality paints a different picture. Emotionally one is never truly ready. It took me about 2 months to fully realize and admit that this move was going to be tough as all hell. Tougher than any job I’ve ever had, giving birth or even going back to University at the ripe young age of 43!
1. My career which has always been something that has grounded me and made me an independent woman. So much so that I put everything else on the back-burner such as marriage and kids until I was really certain it was what I truly wanted and needed. My highlight last year was being made Chief Marketing Officer of one of SA’s leading IT and Technology brands, something I was truly proud off. A female breaking through the infamous “glass-ceiling” and making it to Executive Chief level. And then I walked away from it all…
It was when I got to New Zealand and I had some “down-time” for the first time in my life in a long time, that I realized I’ve been focusing on others, my career and the issues that Corporate life brings you, building up wealth or trying to secure a future for our child, that I had slowly deprioritized my needs somewhat over the years. I think this is typical of most women, whether you are a career woman, or a stay at home mum.
2. Then there is the love of my life, my soul-mate, my partner in happiness, arguments and agreements, who made me realize that there was more to life than just being a career woman. We’ve been together 17 years and tied the knot in 2013.
I look at my life and I have come to realize 3 important phases that I have gone through thus far:
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3. Then there is our miracle boy. The bundle of joy we were told we could not have, but my soul-mate was convinced that he would knock me up the oldfashioned way. Turns out he was quite convincing. Ryker Milo Mason was born 18th August 2014, all 4kg’s of cuteness and love rolled into one perfect human-being. Suddenly everything made sense in the world.
Now I enter a new phase - A NEW START IN LIFE in which I began my story on and which probably better explains phase 1 above. So now I am an MBA student, part-time strategic consultant, and full time mom while I figure out what’s my new normal. Before I left South Africa a wise friend said to me “use this time to do you”. I was still trying to do this, when the #LOVEYOURSELF campaign popped up on my Facebook timeline. Not something I would normally enter but I loved the message of the campaign. A timeout so to speak.
I always remind myself of the phases I have gone through and what they mean to me; Being a career woman gave me a sense of direction; being a wife gave me a sense of belonging and being a mom has given me a sense of purpose. And now coming to New Zealand and being part of this campaign with the STUDIO81 team I see as the start of my new adventure! It can only get better from here I say.
Jess Mason
The opportunity to be part of this campaign, experience a day of being pampered from hair to make-up and barrels of laughs in between with a crazy, beautiful stylist named Annalise made me feel human and beautiful all over again. The STUDIO81 team are professional, but down-to-earth. I left feeling uplifted and eager to see the final outcome of my photoshoot experience and story come alive.
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When I had initially applied to be part of the campaign, I thought I had already missed the train. But Annalise replied and asked me why I wanted to do this. That gave me some hope. My main motive was to boost my confidence and come out looking good with sense of achievement. I got what I had wanted and a lot more. I had low self-esteem from the beginning but with weight piling on over the years, my consciousness would come peeking through my pictures with hunched shoulders and a shy smile more and more evident. I was never very good with makeup, so wanted some professional help and some tips to improve my skills. Annalise showed me where I was going wrong and Dorin told me about classes where I can learn even more. I had never had such a makeover or a professional photoshoot and the enormity of it actually happening made me nervous. Annalise could see that and made me so comfortable. Jeff’s skills at photographing and bringing out what I didn’t see in myself, are incomparable. With my pictures on the big screen, I couldn’t help but admire myself. Talking to Dorin was so easy, felt as we were old friends. When I got home with the makeup and nice clothes, my husband smiled and I could tell he really liked what he saw. That told me that all my efforts had paid off. Thank you STUDIO81 and #loveyourself, I really Love Myself more than ever.
Simran Khangura I work part time am a Mum of 6 & Nan of 4 grandchildren, and I run a woman’s group that empowers other woman weekly. I am currently nurturing & caring for a cancer patient who is related to me. I work alongside people that suffer from drug & alcohol addiction, as well as many other issues, that some may think ‘there’s no hope’ for that individual. All in all, I’m one to always put family first over & above anything else, and fulfilling other people’s needs/wants is also a priority mine too. I rarely if at all DO ME. To be honest, my life story is ‘Victim to Victory’ kind of story, so much so, I would literally bring tears too many. This photo shoot is a beautiful reminder of the strong woman I have become. And, because I’m a grandmother, it would show my next generation that there is beauty in what we not only can see from the outer, but more so too capture the beauty that I posess from within. I excel in everything I do, and I truly believe the photoshoot has been not only a blessing, but I am beyond grateful to have had this wonderful opportunity in my grasp. Once my time is done here on earth, my generation’s upon generations will be reminded of my presence and strength as a strong woman when they look upon this beautiful photo of ME - THEIR MUM; NAN; SISTER; AUNTY; COUSIN; MENTOR; CAREGIVER; WAHINETOA
Jackie Te Paea 018
I have been struggling with the ‘joys’ of menopause for almost 4 years now. The daily struggle with my weight gain, the terrible mood swings, the horrible hot flushes, and the constant sleepless nights are but a few examples of my feeling of complete apathy. I have tried everything from Hormone Replacement Therapy, naturopathy, homeopathy, meditation to a complete hysterectomy. But to no avail. Being selected for this campaign has been a turning point in my life. The staff understood my nervousness and made
me feel very comfortable and at ease. The end result, has given me just what I needed – faith and confidence in myself. That even though I’m not the person I used to be, this too shall pass. My husband has displayed my pictures in our living room as a constant reminder of who I am. A loving mum, a loyal friend and a caring soul. Thank you STUDIO81 for helping me believe in myself again – and for making me feel ‘worth it’.
Sandra Jacinto
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I am battling depression, and every day is hard for me to stay focused and just keep going. I am trying to keep motivated and I go out running to help with the depression. I am slowly improving, but still on Prozac. This photoshoot was the first step in reminding me to love myself again, as I have lost myself, and am currently trying to find that person again. It was definitely an eye opener, and I am feeling really good right now.
Laura Maudsley
I am Saras, a wife, and mum to my gorgeous girls aged 23 & 12. I absolutely loved the makeup & hair make over that Annalise did as it made me feel so pampered, the bonus was we had great conversation. I hardly have time for myself so the personalized photo shoot was a great experience because the sole focus was me. This has helped me gain more confidence in myself as a woman and be a stronger role model for my daughters. I am a very busy working mum, even 24 hours in a day is not enough sometimes. I work full time, as a wife, mum, chef, teacher and taxi driver etc for my family. Also I’m studying my post grad nursing diploma part time. I would definitely recommend #loveyourself campaign to those busy working mums or super mums. Take this awesome & exciting opportunity to treat yourself & you will not regret it.
Saras Govender
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I grew up with 3 brothers, lacking a mother figure in life. I also studied and work in male dominated industry. My whole life I was told to harden up, and was expected to carry on amongst the boys. Last year I wound up having a major health scare, suffering retinal attachment on on both of my eyes. Being a busy mum of two wonderful young boys, I still felt that expectation of having to be strong, to “get on with it.” Instead, I lost some of my self-confidence, and I was left feeling fragile and vulnerable. For a while, I was seeing life differently. I put up barriers around myself, and I socialised with a selection of people. One day while browsing through Facebook, I saw #LoveYourself ad from STUDIO81. I tried my luck to enter, and was selected. I went to STUDIO81 and met lovely Annalise. While putting the make up on, Annalise shared her story on what it meant to love herself and why the campaign was special to her. It was a reminder that not only was it important to love myself, but that I should live the best life for me. That it was okay to have down days, but vital that I don’t dwell on them. It was incredibly touching to share, and I ended up in tears .. and ruined the make up... . (Sorry Annalise!) I have to admit that the whole process with STUDIO81 were amazing. From make up, photo shoots, choosing photos in viewing room, etc. It was a great experience, and something special for me. I’m glad I did it.
Stephanie Wooler
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I’m not a Supermum, I’m not a Wife, and I’m not a successful business woman (all of which I thought I would be by this stage of my life!), but I work hard everyday just to pay my bills! I decided to apply for the #LoveYourself campaign for multiple reasons. In a nutshell, I grew up as a “fat kid.” Even though I was smart and went on to graduate as a Dr, my selfesteem and confidence were so damaged that my whole life has been affected by it. I was constantly anxious, doubting myself, and in tears after I graduated as a Dr and started work. I didn’t feel as though I knew enough, or even as if I was suitably qualified, always thinking someone was going to “catch me out” for being stupid (apparently that’s known as “Imposter Syndrome” and is more common than I realised). I also felt that I didn’t have enough support (it’s an incredibly rough road being a House Officer), although my Senior colleagues and patients were all quick to tell me that I was indeed a good Dr!
I ended up having an accident; I broke my back and had to take 6 months off work to heal and reevaluate my options. I never returned to medicine, even though a day never passes without me feeling guilty and like I’m a disappointment, “wasted talent”, a downright failure for not going back to that career! Instead, I went on to explore the Medical Writing world followed by an excellent Journal Editor position, but my health was suffering. Depression and anxiety continued to haunt me, and then I developed Type 2 diabetes in my early 30s. Suddenly the race was on to lose weight in an effort to reverse the diabetes diagnosis. I went ahead and had a gastric bypass. I had no idea how difficult that whole process would be - contrary to popular belief, it is NOT the easy way out! In fact, I went to hell and back over the ensuing years (a very frightening & long-winded story!). I lost 54 kg, but still struggled with thoughts of being “too fat” and worrying that people were watching what I was eating/buying at the supermarket. Following Dr’s orders, I have gained some weight back, although I am not happy about it. I guess the main reason I applied for #LoveYourself is to try and accept that my body will never be perfect, but that it really doesn’t matter! It’s all about who I am inside and how I treat people. Thank you for the awesome experience STUDIO81! I felt so beautiful, and the images I purchased are amazing! Definitely a big step towards loving myself warts & all! xox
Natalie Carter
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