Dear Addition-Elle,I think it's time we had a chat. You see, I have been frequenting your establishment for quite sometime now and while I have been eagerly spending your fashion dollars and partaking in your plus size fashion, something has been bugging me and I think it's time I got it off my ample bosom.
You see, Dearest AE, while I absolutely love the gorgeous Ashley Graham and all of the other beautiful models you portray in your advertising, I can't help but feel slightly disappointed. As Canada's largest (and possibly only!!) plus size establishment (aside from Penningtons, which you also own) you have the opportunity to do something epic, groundbreaking, and revolutionary. You have the opportunity to provide your clientele with the one thing we ache for the most.....images of women like us, wearing your clothes. Nothing against the babes you showcase as they may fall into the "plus size" category (according to your blog post: http://blog.additionelle.com/2014/07/09/plus-size/), but I bet if I had a look at your main demographic, it would NOT feature a size 14/16 woman. I would bet that your average clientele falls between a size 20 and 24 and does not have that flawless hourglass figure that you tout in your fashion editorials.
Now, don't take this personally, because I love that you provide options for us plussies, where there wasn't any previously, but I think we can make a big difference here. You see, I have taken the liberty to provide you with beautiful imagery showcasing YOUR customers wearing YOUR garments and looking absolutely sexy and fabulous...and more realistic to how your customers look when they put on your lingerie. Seeing as it's 2016, I think we can all agree that it's time to stop marketing focused on getting women to want to be someone else and instead provide them with marketing that speaks to who they already ARE and how great they would look wearing your clothes!!
Now, I know this might sound forward and maybe even a little brash, and you are probably thinking, what the heck does this one girl know about fashion and marketing and OUR business...well, I AM your business. You see, I am an avid customer (I have the receipts to prove it) and I am pretty sure if I feel this way, so do a lot of your other customers (at least that's what I gather from the comments on the social media sites, saying they want to see more "bellies" etc.) And I am sure I can hear your marketing director scoffing at this letter, saying things like "nobody would buy clothes if they were on "REAL" bodies", but just think how we feel when we try your pieces on our REAL bodies and realize that we look NOTHING like Ashley Graham when we put on lingerie?? It would be rather radical (and amazing!!) of you to provide us with a more accurate representation of OUR body types. And yes, I know Penningtons has been featuring the gorgeous Tess Munster, but can we get more of that action in the lingerie department of AE?
Seeing as you essentially have the monopoly on plus size fashion in Canada at the moment, I realize you don't OWE me anything, but I think you have a chance to do something amazing and I promise that you will see a spectacular return on your investments (which, at the end of the day, is the idea, right?)
Oh, and PS. if you could get ring lights on your mirrors in the fitting room, I GUARANTEE an increase in sales. Downward lighting from pot-lights is flattering on no one.
XOXO,Your Customer Who Is Built Less Like An Hour Glass and More Like a Brick
(All of these babes are wearing lingerie purchased at Addition-Elle....as you can see, we all look fab as hell)
Body Image Boot Camp ~ Winnipeg Empowerment Photographer
Ermagerd, you guys. Yesterday I was driving to work and had a major epiphany which evolved into me staying up until 2am buzzing with ideas about this!! I want to talk to you about Body Image Bootcamp!! My newest brainchild since our last Body Talk! Just like we attend fitness bootcamps and after hours educational classes, I feel there is a need to offer something incredible to help people improve their body image!! Therefore, Body Image Bootcamp became a thing. Click below to find out more!!
If you decided NOT to click on the link and want to follow along here, that's totally cool. Essentially, Body Image Bootcamp is a 6 week course designed to help you improve your relationship with your body in a group setting. You will be provided with a bag of awesome stuff upon the first night and every week after that you will be put to the test to get vulnerable, open up, share, and get out all your feelings. There are a variety of exercises (again, click the link above to get ALL the details) that I will put you through to help you come to terms with who you are as a human and provide you with guidance to achieving a healthier outlook on yourself. If you are excited about changing your view to change your life, then hit me up with an email and let's get you registered!!
These Years Are About Them, But This Day Was About Her ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
Miss J traveled in for her Classy Session and we had a lot to chat about as she currently lives in the hometown where I grew up. This beautiful farm girl has a gaggle of her own and hasn't had a chance to acknowledge her womanhood in quite sometime, so she was excited to have the chance to feel pampered and have the spotlight on her for a bit. She brought some amazing heels covered in sequin which I couldn't pass up and I also found out that she does MMA! How cool is that? This little beauty is a perfect example of the quote "Though she be but little, she is fierce." Ps. check out how well our new rug photographs!!!!
Everything about my experience with Teri was amazing. I'm a stay at home mom to 3 and a farm wife. My kids leave the house all looking like superstars and I follow behind in sweats, a bun and no make up. That's always been okay for me because these years are about them. But being at Teri's, I got to be the attention. I was pampered and got to step out of my mommy shoes and just be a women again. I needed to remind myself that even though all my focus is on them it's okay if sometimes it's on me. And my husband will be very happy with the outcome!
I wholeheartedly agree. Her husband will be VERY pleased with these images, but more importantly Miss J was very pleased with her images and the overall experience. I think it's really easy for babes to forget they are women when they are focusing on just keeping their babies alive and healthy! So many of my clients are moms and wives, used to putting themselves last, but it is also important to take a few hours a week to remember who you are a woman and human. That may mean hiring a babysitter, locking yourself in the bathroom, putting on mascara while you are in the car parked outside your kids' school...SOMETHING. And when you have a few more hours, come see us and we will get you feeling all sexy, glammed up, feminine, and what not.
Unforgettably Life Altering ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photographer
The first time I met Miss A was a few years ago when I was casting for a fashion photo shoot and it has been awhile since we last shot together. This time around, she contacted me because she wanted to do a boudoir session and she took advantage of my July 24-hour promo, giving herself a classy session. You see, Miss A worked as a model (you probably saw her in Warehouse One ads back in the day) so you would think doing "another photoshoot" wouldn't be special for her, but this was totally different. I have come to find that sometimes models are harder to work with because they are trained to be whatever the photographer, art director or agency wants and they have a hard time connecting with themselves. We even chatted about this prior to her shoot while she was getting her hair & make up done. I told her to leave her "modeling shit" behind and to get vulnerable with me today (I get bossy when I need to be.). Miss A brought it...she was sensual, feminine, sexy as hell, and natural. Her reveal was interesting to me. I was nervous. Would she see the photos, just like every other photoshoot? Or would she see herself as a woman?
Well, here is Miss A's recount of her boudoir experience with us:
As a model; I'm always working hard to appeal to what all the others want for their photo and outcome; but with Teri we were able to solely work on what I wanted. I'm so excited to have pictures that remind me how strong, fearless and beautiful I really am. She always makes me comfortable (maybe too comfortable -I didn't even wear bottoms most of the shoot hehe) and her direction is just as helpful to achieving a beautiful photo. I LOVED my wet TShirt outfit!
She went on to say that her experience was "unforgettably life altering" and I would have to agree. Many of the beauties that strip down emotionally and physically in front of my lens tend to change their lives in one way or another. Perhaps they realize who they were all along or they learn something new about themselves! In either case, I like to think that every client who does something amazing for themselves is rewarded with knowledge about their awesomeness!
New Stuffs ~ Winnipeg Boudoir Photography
Aaaaah!! Welcome to September, my loves! September has always been one of my favorite months because it always seems to tie in with change and renewal and while the mosquitoes are heading away, the cooler weather is setting in and THIS IS MY TIME. Despite my distaste for pants, I love fall weather. But anywho, we are here today to talk about the awesomeness that is coming at you from the studio!!
First up is a new addition to our album and image collection line up! We are affectionately calling this delightful little number, the Boudy Book because it's layout is more like a book and less like an album. The Boudy Book will be eligible with our 35 and 45 image collections and will range in sizes 8X10 and 9X12 with a glorious ice cover showcasing your favorite image in metallic.
In addition to these gorgeous new Boudy Books, I am also pleased to introduce the Empowerment Blocks! These gorgeous blocks are your images, printed in metallic, and then encased within a luxurious acrylic block. We take your image from being a portrait and turn it into a work of art, by adding an inspirational quote, piece of poetry, or whatever sparks your soul! You can provide us with the written words or allow us to provide you with some options that will make you smile when you look at it. The intention of these accent pieces, are to remind you daily of the fearless, bad ass babe that you are...even on days when you may not feel it.
And in even BIGGER news, because I love these Empowerment Blocks so much, for the rest of 2016 if you purchase a 45 Image Collection, we will gift you one of these bad boys to help you work on your self-relationship to take you into 2017!! I will also take this time to let you know that if you are planning on giving the kick ass gift of boudoir this year, I HIGHLY recommend doing your session in September and October as November is booking up fast AND I will be traveling for the first part of December!! Do NOT procrastinate (this is coming from a huge procrastinator!) But also, you get $150 to put towards your image collections if you book your session for September or October, so you may want to consider it...just sayin'.