2nd October 2019

Why I want to empower women to be more self-confident – A personal story from Ginny Marsh

I was recently set a challenge to write down my WHY in my business – why I do what I do. Why I feel so passionately about empowering women to be more self-confident.

I want to empower women to be happy with their appearance and feel more confident in front of the camera. I realised it’s something I haven’t properly shared with you!

So here’s my story… you might be surprised!

It all started at a very young age…

At the age of 6, I was called a ‘fat cow’…

I’ve always loved any excuse to get dressed up… at nursery school, you’d find me in the dressing up box pretending to be a princess.

At the age of 6, I was called a ‘fat cow’ by a much older girl in my gym class, which stuck with me. From then on I always assumed I was fat. Growing up, I was always slightly overweight, and I’ve had weight issues on and off, most of my life. By my late teens my weight had mostly evened out. I had a good figure, but I didn’t see it. I only saw the bits I didn’t like.

Growing up, I was always really shy and unconfident.

At school, I constantly compared myself to my friends who were thinner than me. I used to copy what my friends were wearing because I had no sense of my own style or what suited me. I was bullied and believed any negative comments about my weight and appearance.

Bad school photos made me think I was unphotogenic and I became really self-critical.

I used to hate having my photo taken, and I used to run away and hide when my parents tried to record family videos. I just hated how I looked and was scared of what others thought when I was completely myself. It was probably due to an early memory of being laughed at (maybe not even in a nasty way) for how I looked or acted in front of the camera, but I don’t remember.

The start of my confidence-boosting portrait shoots…

At college in 2007, I became very interested in body image. I wrote a dissertation on how women are portrayed in the media, and how it’s related to many eating disorders in young people. I started to take photos of my friends and family, and that was the start of my confidence-boosting portraits. When I realised how I could help women feel good about their appearance, with the power of hair and makeup, styling, and retouching, I loved it!

Then, when I started working for another photographer, I had a makeover photoshoot. It was the first time I’d felt good about being photographed and seeing myself in photos. I then booked a Boudoir shoot with another photographer I admired, and I was hooked.

But it was a long journey to being more self confident…

It has taken me quite a few years to feel comfortable in front of the camera and less self-critical. I’ve now had over 10 photoshoots and luckily, it gets easier every time (it’s handy knowing plenty of photographers!).

Practice makes perfect!

Now I’m on a mission to prove to others that practice does make it easier and they CAN look as good as they dream of. Because now I like having my photo taken and like most photos of myself ????

And funnily enough, the photos I once hated, I now don’t mind. I think it’s because my mindset and the way I feel about myself has changed.

I’m on my own journey of self-discovery and love to read self-help books. I love motivational quotes, positivity and female empowerment, and I’m constantly trying to improve the experience I give my clients. Because it’s all about the experience, not just the photoshoot or final product.

Self-love starts from within. There’s no point in thinking “I’ll be happy when… I lose 10lb/I get more toned/I get cosmetic surgery”. You’ve got to learn to love yourself as you are, no matter what age, shape or size.