Your Stories - Nicole L

Content Warning: These stories contain mentions of body dysmorphia, body image struggles, pregnancy loss, fertility struggles and gendered violence. If you find any of the below triggering, please find a list of helpful and free resources below:

DV/SV: 1800 RESPECT

Mental Health: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

Eating Disorders and Body Image Issues: Butterfly Foundation 1800 ED HOPE

Nicole arrived like a live wire. Warm, funny, a little chaotic in the best way, apologising for things she absolutely did not need to apologise for, and quietly hoping her body might surprise her if she gave it the chance.

She’s had a big year. The kind that rearranges you. New diagnoses, new routines, Pilates consistency, weight shifts, mental health work, actual follow-through. The sort of changes that happen slowly enough you don’t always clock them until you’re standing half-naked in front of a mirror wondering when you started carrying yourself like that.

She told us she wanted a photo on her wall that would catch her off guard. One of those “wait… that’s me?” moments. Sexy. Hot. Real. Stretch marks and all. No justification required.

The shoot itself was pure Nicole energy. Lots of laughter (which if you’. Clear direction. Barn doors wide open, clothes coming off, zero apologies. And then the wings. Immediate favourite. Obviously.

Her viewing though… that’s where it all landed. There was an actual gasp when she saw herself at the makeup bureau. Not a polite one. A genuine, startled, full-bodied reaction. She kept saying she couldn’t believe how confident she looked. Not posed confidence. Not trying confidence. Just standing there like she belonged in her body.

At one point, culling images, she hit a streak of yes, yes, yes, yes. And Bessie said quietly, “Isn’t it nice to be able to say yes to your body?”

That one stuck.

She left with a tattoo that reads “know your worth” and honestly, the timing could not have been better. She’s about to wake up every morning to a version of herself she recognises and respects. One that doesn’t need to explain herself.

Nicole is a ripper. A firecracker. A woman learning that confidence isn’t something you earn by fixing yourself, but something that shows up when you finally stop fighting what’s already there.

We cannot wait for her prints to hit the wall.