Real Women of Rochester | Katrina
Hello Real Women of Rochester followers! I'm excited to present to you Katrina, our very first RWOR. She was the first person to respond to my post, and the first lady to get herself into our studio for her interview, and the first shoot! Today we are sharing her pre-shoot interview - her thoughts on womanhood, beauty, the project, and why she wanted to be involved. Katrina, I can't thank you enough for your honest and candid reflections, and am SO glad to have you be a part of this project. So without further adieu, meet Katrina....
Katrina - Age 24, Residence: Rochester, Development Associate | Masters of Music Performance and Literature
Katrina walked into the studio after a long day at work sporting a huge grin. You would have thought she’d won the lotto. But no - she was just that excited to be a part of our Real Women of Rochester project. Katrina is a recent graduate, with a masters degree in music performance. When she’s not at work, she runs, cooks, and performs on the weekends with her adorable violinist boyfriend.
HER WHY: I was in a relationship for four years that wore me down and made me feel like I had nothing to offer. Once I was out of that relationship, I was able to see myself clearly. I look back at photos taken during that time period and I think - wow, I was beautiful, but I didn’t realize it because I thought so little of myself. I look different now: I’ve gained weight and I’m a few years older. Years from now I want to look back at this time and place and say, “Yes, I was beautiful.” I want to believe that about myself now, and I need some help crafting that perspective. I hope that this boudoir shoot will help me with this.”
WHAT IS SHE NERVOUS ABOUT? I feel like maybe I might not have anything to give - that perhaps all the women I’ve seen on your website just showed up ready to be photographed. I consider myself a confident person but I feel pretty lost in this world of boudoir photography. I’m really looking forward to letting Natalie and her team work their magic.
HER THOUGHTS ON BEAUTY: A few months ago I realized I was walking around sucking in my stomach all day. When I finally exhaled, I felt like I hadn’t taken a deep breath in forever. I want everyone to be able to take a deep breath, regardless of whether they feel thin enough or pretty enough. I want to be part of a movement that encourages everyone to be comfortable in their bodies.
HER MISSION: I am a survivor of rape. It took me over a year to realize what had happened to me, and more than two years after that to stop accepting blame for it. (That second part is still a daily battle.) I became inspired to run the Chicago Marathon to raise money for women in African countries who are often assaulted on their multi-mile journey to collect clean water, and in order to really make an impact in my fundraising, I shared my story. I wore a sign on my back during a half marathon in Rochester that said, “Today I run for survivors of rape like me.” I put my story on Facebook and in my alma mater’s newspaper, and that’s how everyone found out what had happened. My family and friends found out via Facebook, because that’s how I needed to tell my story. Telling other people what had happened was one way to remind myself that what happened to me was real, is not my fault, and that what someone did to my body without my consent does not total the sum of the person that I am.
PARTING WORDS: My body belongs to me and only me. Making the decision to do a boudoir shoot is one of many ways that I have chosen to own my body and to continue making empowered decisions around that ownership. I hope that by sharing my story, I can inspire other people to feel ownership of their bodies as well.
Stay tuned for the reveal of her boudoir shoot next Wednesday...