04 Feb Ashley | Edmonton Boudoir Photography

"Self worth is vital to your happiness. If you don't feel good about you, it's hard to feel good about anything else." 

These days, we live in a society that demands perfection. People can feel an enormous amount of pressure to look and act a certain way, and if you don't, then you feel left out and cast aside and weird. But what fun is it when everyone is the same? I love weird. It makes life interesting.

I'm not a fancy girl. I wear my hair thrown back in a ponytail most days, and I will gladly choose my boyfriend's shirt over a dress any day. I have a deep love of hoodies and walking around in bare feet. And maybe it's because I'm a bit of an introvert, but I would rather stay home and curl up with a good book and my dog than head out to an overcrowded bar. Through my boudoir sessions, I meet girls who are the same way - and I have to tell you, it's a bit of a relief. These girls aren't very fancy either, and they are definitely okay with that! Even though their session is not a typical boudoir session, it showcases their beauty, and most importantly, their souls like no other. Seeing their smiles just makes me absolutely love what I do.

Ashley is an up-and-coming Edmonton-based model. She has started a self-confidence campaign to inspire people of every shape and size, and I admire her so much for that. Being comfortable in your own skin can be a challenge for a lot of people, and helping others achieve that goal is definitely worthwhile. Ashley was kind enough to contribute a few words about her campaign:

"For most of my life I wasn't sure what it meant to be a confident person. Until a few years ago I wasn't sure - I find that a lot of men and women of all ages struggle with the concept of confidence. I started working on my self-confidence campaign when I was 14 years old and I finally got the opportunity to bring it to life last year. I'm a believer that loving yourself is the most important thing any human being can do. Being able to look in the mirror with a smile, or being able to walk around with pride in your eyes- or even in your walk. Being confident to me isn't about thinking people are below you, it's about knowing that we're all here fighting the same fight. It's knowing that you're a beautiful and lovely human being- regardless of how you dress, or how you style your hair, if you wear tons of makeup or if you prefer to wear none. My goal with this campaign is to have everyone be inspired to just fall in love with themselves every night, because at the end of the day, you're all you have." 

Best of luck in your travels this year, Ashley!