Super Model Monday

Thank you for the warm reception on Friday, I thought I would start my first Monday off with a blog post….its my first blog post ever….enjoy!

I can picture her in the meeting with her peers, tapping her feet waiting for it to be adjourned so she can call me and pitch her idea.  I was just pulling into my driveway, trunk is full of overpriced groceries. Gosh, the price of beef these days! Am I right? Anyway, as she is offering me the job, in which I am thankful for her thinking of me, I was ready to say thanks but no thanks. But as I was taking one glove off so I could work my smart phone and with the other hand wiping my runny nose from the cold I remembered….

40 days ago, give or take, I made a resolution to be more open to new opportunities. I didn’t think I would have one so soon. I just accepted a new job as Chief of Sales at Appletini Photography and thought that was going to be it for new opportunities for a while. My life is comfortable right now and don’t need this ball of stress in the distant future driving me nuts. But that’s just it. I think I don’t need it, but I do. Being a stay at home mom for so long I feel like I am starting to lose my identity. I feel like I didn’t have my own “thing”. All my “things” are everyone else’s’ “things” in my house. Other peoples’ laundry, messes, shoes in the doorway, and beard hair on the sink. This could be mine. And it will be. Then I heard more details. Wait! Hair and makeup!? And it is a paid gig! “OK, I will do it!”

I already have enough on my plate. But this was something different for me. A modeling job! A one-time deal. Funny thing is that I am the farthest thing from a model. I am incredibly awkward in front of a camera and I don’t think I am photogenic. Not to mention I am not in the best of shape. I’m thin but not toned. That is what makes this modeling job so terrifying and a little funny to me. It is modeling bathing suits! Good news however, it is for forming and slimming suits. They are suits that suck it in and lift them up. So how and why did I get this gig? My dear friend Erin works for the company CyberSwim and during a meeting discussing their upcoming catalog they decided to use women with “real” bodies. If you put this type of bathing suit on a professional model it doesn’t really show its affects and benefits. I totally get it. Maybe some women in my shoes would have turned it down. I mean, think about it. A room full of strangers, cameras, lights and legs that haven’t seen the sun since……oh, I would say, July! But when it came down to it I couldn’t say no.

So, the night before my photo shoot I spent some time catching up on my shaving and waxing. I also spent some time in front of the mirror practicing poses. Hands on the hips. One hand on one hip and the other at my side. My legs touching, my legs apart. I even imagined a fan blowing in my face like Beyoncé when she is on stage. Gosh, models make it look so freaking easy. I am not terrible but I am no Beyoncé. I am trying not to stress and think at this point they know they are getting just a normal woman with no posing experience. I mean, that was the point, right?

So that night I dreamt I showed up in sweats all natural with no makeup and Erin comes up and tells me that there will be no hair and makeup so we will have to make do. I saw red and freaked out. You know how dreams seem so real sometimes? Well this felt like the real deal Holyfield and I was so upset. And since it is a dream and dreams make no sense most of the time, everyone else was in la-la land not seeing the big deal. I woke up and laughed. I knew I would be stressing in my sleep and it would come out in my dream somehow.

The next morning it was time to head out to the shoot. My hubby had kid and puppy duty. I had a 2 hour ride so plenty of time to relax, listen to the news and sing along to my new Taylor Swift CD. Not only just sing along but SING along.  When I arrive at CyberSwim, Erin introduced me to everyone and we got right to it. She is part of a small staff of wonderful and gracious people. There was a nice dressing room set up for me with some snacks and…ding ding ding….liquid courage. Red wine, which was very welcomed. The wine took the edge off and after a drink and a chance to check out the suits Erin had picked for me to model it was straight to hair and makeup. That was swell. I forgot how relaxing it was to have someone play with my hair. My makeup turned out so pretty. In fact, I think I need to hire hair and makeup for every day of my life. I should get right on that.

As I was getting glamorized the staff was buzzing around getting ready for me. They were all so funny and joking around with each other. They were like a little family and I fit right in. OK. I am up. “Tina! They are ready for you on the set!” No one actually said that but it would have been really cool if they did.

The first suit was a black and metallic strapless number called Shine and Shimmer Muse (pictured below). It was comfortable, gave me a waist line, and actually held up my big knockers. So far I am impressed with the suits. I have posed in front of Tiffany’s camera before but thankfully the CyberSwim photographer, Dan was so helpful he guided me through the different poses and I was relived for that.  As the time went by I started getting more comfortable. I started to loosen up a bit and didn’t feel like such a statue afraid to move anymore.

Next suit was the Yvonne, is a red halter with ruching in the front. You have to love ruching. This one made my boobs look 20 again! Just then Erin whipped out a fan! Now I can attempt to find my inner Beyoncé. I know she is in there somewhere. Not only did I feel fabulous but it kept me cool in the hot studio lights. Now I know why she always has a fan blowing on her. The last suit I modeled was the Jena, a best seller for Cyberswim. This one made my butt look pretty good. It had sheer fabric placed throughout and was very flattering. Dan asked if he can take a backside shot. “Go ahead. If there is ever a time I want my butt in a picture this would be it.”  The fact that the suit made me comfortable enough for a butt shot says a lot!

After my time in front of the camera I got a chance to look at the images of me. Wow. They looked professional. I mean I knew they were taken by a professional photographer but I actually look like I should be there. It really made me feel good when the other staff members would come in and tell me how fab I looked and what a good job I was doing. I just hope that at least one of the images is good enough to use in either their catalog or website Cyberswim.com. How awesome will it be to see myself in print like that? To know thousands of women will see me. Also, to think that the way the suit looks on me might determine whether or not someone buys the suit. At the end of the day, if one woman looking through her Cyberswim catalog sees me (a normal mom) and my confidents and comfort translate maybe it will make her feel better about her body. That’s what it’s all about for me.

After the shoot they let me take home my favorite suit! That was such an awesome gesture. I took Yvonne, the red one. Any suit that can make my boobs look 20 again is coming home with me! Along with the free suit, Cyberswim also gave me a bag full of goodies and my check is in the mail!  I’d say I made out very well.  All in all I would do it over and over and over again. Who knows, maybe they will have me back. I am still riding this high I have from that day and am proud that I stepped out of my box for once I am happy to say that I have a healthier confidence about my body. Oh and one of the best parts about this, now my husband can technically say he is married to a bathing suit model, right?

Thanks for reading,
Tina