A couple's beautiful photo shoot recently went viral for its empowering message about body positivity. The photos were originally part of an open call for boudoir shots.
The photos feature Stephanie and her fiancé, Arryn (who asked that we only use their first names), of Overton, Texas. They were taken by Bria Terry of Wolf & Rose Photography.
During the shoot, Stephanie said she felt super comfortable. "I wasn’t worrying about how I looked, I was just looking at Arryn and that made me feel confident," she told BuzzFeed. "He looks at me all the time, but the way he looked at me during the photo shoot, I could feel it was different because I could focus on him.”
Stephanie said she was completely surprised by the amount of attention the photos garnered.
But shortly after the photos went viral, Stephanie said her employer, Austin Bank Texas N.A., told her they were "concerned" about how many people would see her photos and how it would reflect on the company.
She claimed she was then let go from the company.
“There was no defending myself, they had made their decision," she said. "I gave over a year to a company that I worked really hard for and then to have them turn on me for doing something so positive, something that I was so proud of — to help myself as a woman — it was hurtful. People were pulling out their phones at work and showing the pictures and that was blamed on me.”
Stephanie said their decision and reasoning to fire her was "disheartening." And she adamantly disagrees with them.
“As a company, if they feel what I do outside of my job is going to jeopardize their business, that's fine. It’s just disheartening to me because I feel like home life and work life are two totally different things. I was a model employee, I was moving up fast. I had a promotion within seven months. This one thing, for me, was the reason I was booted,” Stephanie said.
Stephanie said she is still proud of the photos and so is Arryn. “He knows it puts out a good message and helps me in my self confidence, and how I feel about myself. He’s all about it.”
