“We teach girls to shrink themselves
To make themselves smaller
We say to girls
You can have ambition
But not too much
You should aim to be successful
But not too successful
Otherwise you will threaten the man
Because I am female
I am expected to aspire to marriage
I am expected to make my life choices
Always keeping in mind that
Marriage is the most important
Now marriage can be a source of
Joy and love and mutual support
But why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage
And we don’t teach boys the same?
We raise girls to view each other as competitors
Not for jobs or for accomplishments
Which I think can be a good thing
But for the attention of men
We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings
In the way that boys are”

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

For my birthday I decided I really wanted to understand how it felt to be in my clients shoes.  I always encourage my clients to feel confident in their skin and I thought who better to have this experience with than my best friend!  Big thanks to Ingenue Boudoir who captured our Chicago adventure so perfectly.  Also big thanks to my friend Sara for inspiring me with the quote at the beginning and to my friend and personal trainer, Sarah, (who also writes Fearlessly Fit) for getting my body ready for this shoot.   

Dress: Paparazzi Glamour and Gowns