Real Woman of Rochester - Nikki
When you first meet Nikki you sense a quiet confidence about her. Within 1 minute of knowing her, you know her laugh and smile can fill an entire room. For me, one of the most striking things about her is the beautiful relationship she has with her husband and sons- evidenced not only by how lovingly she speaks of them, but by her tattoos commemorating their love (but I'll save those details for the photo reveal next week!). She's the "Queen Bee" and she puts it - "even the cats are male!". It's obvious the love for the queen is well-earned and reciprocal, and her journey of gaining self-confidence is firmly rooted in her family.
Nikki - 43, Residence: Rochester, Co-Owner / Office Manager at Unified Electric
HER WHY: "I've always been interested in doing something like this. I'm in my early 40s, and I feel more comfortable in my skin than I've ever been – more so than I did in high school and in my 20s. People always told me I was too skinny, and I believed them. Friends and people at school would call me “Ethiopian” and “anorexic”. It really hurt, I always felt bad about myself. Now at 40 I feel much less pressure to look a certain way than I did back then. I've had space to grow, and between having kids and being with my husband, I feel more confident in myself.
HER THOUGHTS ON BEAUTY: Everyone always said that when I got older, I'd put on weight - but it didn't happen. It was always as if everyone was just waiting for me to get fat. When I became a mom, it changed both my body and how I felt about it. I was now a mother and a nurturer. Motherhood also physically allowed me to gain weight. I was 27 when I became pregnant with our first son, and at that time I weighed 86 lbs. I was able to gain 50 lbs – I enjoyed it! It made me feel better, even though I did end up losing all of it after I had him.
I think "sexy” comes from confidence. It’s all about being comfortable in yourself, and feeling good. My husband makes me feel sexy. Even though we've been together 20 years (and known each other for 26), he makes me feel sexy. He still looks at me like I’m the most beautiful person in the world. He’s supportive of everything I do, he's my rock.
WHAT IS SHE NERVOUS ABOUT: I have a baby pooch, but that's about it. I'm really just excited. I can't wait to see these sexy pictures of myself! When I first head about it I had no idea what exactly you do or don't wear! But I went to the website and I liked what I saw, and now I am just so excited. My husband said I'm going to be impossible to live with after this!
HER MISSION: I think people might hold back on commenting on someone being overweight because it's not socially acceptable to do so, but people freely will put it out there if they think you're too thin. It made me hate myself and hate my body when I was younger. I thought my arms were too skinny, so I wouldn't wear anything besides long sleeve shirts. I always felt like my boobs were too small because people said they were “egg-shell” sized. If someone calls you "anorexic", there's no good response. I would tell people “I eat all the time, I just can't gain any weight”. The response was always “oh, boo hoo... you're too skinny, must be hard”. But it was hard. I want to try to help other women who have been told they are too-thin, or too anything really. It can be hard and frustrating at time, but all you can do is healthy and happy and comfortable in who you are.
PARTING WORDS: I’m excited, and my husband is excited for me. I hope to just have fun, and end up with some sexy images of myself to give to my husband!"