Glamography Magazine aims to feature everyday women and their stories. Our mission is to give these women the opportunity to break out of their day-to-day, get glammed up a little, and celebrate who they are. This is Tammy's feature from the upcoming issue of Glamography:

Content Warning: This feature contains reference to domestic and sexual abuse

My story has been full of ups, downs, and tragedy.

I have overcome a lot of my past through perseverance… tears… strong friends and a very supportive and loving husband. I am a rape survivor, and I’ve gone through bouts of depression and anxiety as well as PTSD. It hasn’t always been easy but I am stronger than what they made me feel!

I was molested as a young child by a hired man and was told the old adage of “don’t tell it’s our secret.”

I never told and tried to bury it deep and it stayed there until in my 40’s I started having nightmares. I would smell cigarette smoke in my sleep and need to check windows, afraid he was near. My buried secret was unburying itself in my subconscious and it sent me into a spiral of fear. I was also in a marriage that had run its course and there was no hope.

I started therapy, cried a lot, curled up alone, and tried to get everything under control in my head, body, and soul to get myself better. A lot of reading, talking, and opening up finally on what was a broken part of me for so many years. I was raped in college at 18 years old by another student and it was another blow to my otherwise broken spirit that I was.

"Even if only I believed I was beautiful… sometimes that’s all that matters."

I never felt comfortable in my body, having to live through that and also not having my mother who passed away a month after I turned 13 was hard. I never had the mother-daughter talks about changes or what to expect.

I never dated in school, and I was the one on the outside always looking in. Constantly wishing for a boyfriend or to be asked to a dance. I never felt that beauty.

Coming full circle and surviving my past, I longed to be special to someone. I never truly felt that until my second husband. I didn’t fail; I just felt like a caterpillar coming out of the hibernation period. My husband knows my story and shows and tells me every day how beautiful I am. I’ve never had that. I didn’t see it, and certainly didn’t believe it.

I had been entertaining the idea of a photoshoot for awhile but always had concerns of “what if.” What if I looked ugly or undesirable..? I did a lot of soul searching and found a little crack that my husband slowly fixed with his love. I let myself slowly blossom until I was ready to book a photoshoot just for me, no one else. And I honestly felt like I never had before during the photoshoot, and I didn’t think about the imperfections.

I wanted to love myself again, and I did. 

Doing this photoshoot wasn’t about losing weight first and then doing it… for many women I know that is why they waited to book a session. To me doing this photoshoot was about digging deep and finding that piece inside you that says, “Heck with it! I AM BEAUTIFUL.”

Even if only I believed I was beautiful… sometimes that’s all that matters. But if someone can be lucky enough to find that one person that is your number one fan… That instills you with that belief and confidence over and over (like my husband does for me), then it’s time to believe in yourself too.

And so I did.

We will always criticize the body parts we don’t like, but when I stopped filtering compliments through my own negative thoughts I realized it was just me. Most people just look at my best parts and will say “Girl, you’re gorgeous.” The same will be for you too.

You will soooo feel it when you do a session, I have never felt the beauty I felt until I did my session and saw not what I hated but what others saw as beautiful. 

And now I encourage others: Do it for you! Don’t let the past control you, you can find the spark again. Find the little light and let it turn on and you see the parts of you that you love.

"Don’t let the past control you, you can find the spark again. Find the little light and let it turn on and you see the parts of you that you love."

Get comfortable with the idea and you choose how seductive or clothed you want to be. I would say go one step further than your comfort zone. I did and was amazed at the beauty of the pictures Cory took and I was so comfortable with him it was like an old friend listening to music and laughing.

📸 More from Cory Powell Photography

Get your copy of the full Spring 2024 issue of Glamography Magazine ✍

Shop Now

Interested in booking your own photoshoot but don't know where to start? I've got a guide for that! 📸

Get the booking guide

Top Freebies & Blog Posts

Visit this page to access our top freebies! 🎁