Not okay: This mom was body-shamed for her sexy postpartum photoshoot

Slightly NSFW

Photographer Trina Cary is known for setting up boudoir photoshoots that allow her clients to feel empowered as they connect with the beauty of their bodies. That’s what led her to a man named Gabby and his wife Mel, who’d given birth to three children over the course of one year: a little boy in March 2013 and twin girls in March 2014. These two actually connected with Trina after answering her call for a couple to participate in an intimate photoshoot.

“I am inspired by nudity and the power of it,” Cary tells HelloGiggles. “How raw and vulnerable it is. And as a boudoir photographer, I am always trying to promote self-love and confidence.” This outlook on photography was especially important to Mel, who was feeling insecure about her post-baby body after giving birth.

“It’s hard to adapt and fall in love with your new self. Every mom knows that it was worth the struggle for the end result. But it’s still hard,” Mel revealed. “You don’t have time to think of the way you look most days, but sometimes you catch a glimpse of your body and hardly even recognize the reflection starring back.” Knowing this about Mel, Trina felt that it was extremely important to go through with the photoshoot, so she’d be able to represent love, self-love, and body/postpartum confidence all at the same time.

When looking at the resulting photos, one can see that Mel definitely accomplished her goal. In each and every single photo, both Mel and Gabby exude love and body positivity. However, the collection of images did receive backlash. Trina tells us, “People said that [Mel] is too pretty and too thin to be insecure, called her a slut, and told her the session should have been kept private, that I didn’t show enough or that I showed too much.”

These negative comments began to affect both Mel and Gabby personally, so they had to stop reading many of them and only focus on the positive, funny ones. As for Trina, she’s used to receiving negative comments, but these specific ones surprised her. “Insecurities are personal. You can’t tell someone how to feel,” the photographer tells HelloGiggles. “Mel is beautiful and as a photographer, it is my job to focus on the soul, the energy, the light. To bring out the best in people during their session.”

In the end, Trina hopes that viewers see the love in her images. “This session was done to help Mel heal. It is about a beautiful mother who is learning to except and love her new body and an amazing husband who has supported her on this journey,” the artist concluded. “It is about women coming together, and learning to be brave and confident and to love themselves for exactly who they are.” As for Mel, she is proud to set a meaningful, body-positive example for her girls (and for all other girls and women out there).