BOISE, Idaho — Some local ladies met up at Lucky Peak lake this weekend to spread the message that "all bodies are summer bodies," and it inspired confidence in women of all sizes.
"I wanted body shaming to stop with our generation, and so I reached out to the women who are on my private Facebook group and I said, 'Do you guys want to come out and share with each other that all bodies are beach bodies?'" said Cyndee Wanyonyi, owner of Boudoir Defined.
And about 30 local women came out for the event.
"My chill-bucket on my arm is, like, overloaded this whole time. Like, as soon as I saw these girls walking up, I'm like, 'Yes. This is what we wanted.' And I love that all these girls have a story to tell."
Chelsea Wheeler, model in the photoshoot, says this is not something she would normally do.
"Coming here today and seeing everybody has been--it's been so uplifting," said Wheeler.
Like so many of us, she said her body's gone through some changes, which in turn affected her self-esteem.
"Back in high school I was, um, a size three. I had a very nice body. And then I had kids and I gained a lot a lot of weight. This is the heaviest I've ever been in my life and I don't feel good about myself."
But Wanyonyi said it's precisely that kind of thinking she aims to change. She said we, as women, often forget what our bodies do for us because we so often worry about what they look like.
"When I talk to my girls about their bodies, I always talk to them about how strong they are and what their bodies do for them. I think I never felt more secure in my body than after I had a child, because I knew during that time my body produced a life," said Wanyonyi.
"Seeing everybody with their confidence--it makes you feel confident. Um, I can go home today feeling a little bit better about myself because they feel good about themselves," said Wheeler.
Wheeler said the event has prompted her to think of the lessons she wants to teach her two young daughters.
"Love yourself. No matter what you look like. You're beautiful," said Wheeler.
