My Naked Truth

When I decided to take it all off for the camera last October, I had no idea how good for me it would be. I’ve had some self-image problems over the last few years, mostly concerning my weight, or lack thereof. I’m a natural size zero—as in zero curves! I know I’m probably making every woman who reads this breathe fire because they wish they had my problem, but I don’t care. Being too thin can make a person just as unhappy with themselves as being overweight can. For example, how many of you ladies out there would take it as a compliment when you’re mistaken for a small boy—by the cops!?! I sure didn’t.

People have told me how lucky I am. My boyfriend says I’m beautiful. It doesn’t stop me from feeling like Olive Oyl at times.

Last fall we were out of state visiting my friend Michelle, who is, in my opinion, the most talented photographer on the planet. She showed me a little book one of her bride clients had made up for her groom as a wedding gift. It was all photos of the bride in various poses, in various states of undress. Think “tasteful but sexy coffee table book,” not “Hustler.” The pictures had class, artistic integrity and a sense of fun. The bride was obviously very comfortable and having a great time during her photo shoot. Michelle has a real knack for helping people loosen up.

She suggested we make one with pictures of me, as a Valentine’s Day gift for my boyfriend. She used me as a model fairly often when she was in college, so I was already very comfortable in front of her camera. I was extremely flattered, since I would never be able to afford someone like Michelle and here she was, offering to do the shoot for free.

We made sneaky plans and kept everything top secret so that it would be a surprise when February 14th finally came around. We scheduled the shoot for December 22nd, and I told my boyfriend that I was going to go visit Michelle for the day. I’m not used to lying to anyone, so a simple omission of information was easier for me. He never thought anything of it.