I’m a 38 years old woman of color and I’m a domestic abuse survivor.... I was married to my former spouse for 12 years and we have two beautiful girls (8yo & 4yo) together. I’ve endured every form of abuse you can possibly imagine in an intimate relationship - physical, emotional, financial...to name a few.
In May of 2019, one evening when I brought home my daughter (then 6 years old) home from school, she told me:
"Momma, I don’t like the way daddy is treating you. He should go into time out”.
I was stunned, shocked and disappointed all at once. I knew if I stayed in that marriage, as a Christian woman, I would be lying to myself and setting a bad example for my children for the rest of our lives.
I had gained over 40 lbs with two pregnancies; at my heaviest I was 168 lbs in May of 2019 and I’m 5’4” tall. His family routinely body shamed me and compared me to other women who didn’t gain any weight with pregnancies or the ones who lost the baby weight soon after giving birth. I toiled night & day working as an RN in Healthcare and raised two children with no help from my former spouse or our families.
In Dec of 2019, I did a Boudoir shoot at Sugar & Spice Photography, which gave me a new purpose to focus on myself more than I ever had. Today, I actively strength train & workout 7 days a week and have weight 124 lbs. I serve as an inspiration to women of all sizes and shapes in my church, at work and continue to motivate those who follow me in my FB through my health & fitness journey. I’ve been asked on numerous occasions to pose for the fitness studio I regularly train at.
This is me, at the end of another tough year for all plagued by a pandemic, posing to empower women.
I fight the good fight as a front line healthcare worker during the day and still weight train and live my life as a single mom raising two beautiful daughters. Many of my good friends are abuse victims themselves and these pictures will serve my friends at our SWMN Domestic Abuse shelter, CADA (Committee Against Domestic Abuse) as an inspiration to other abuse survivors... Please feel free to share my story...I’m on board with you all beautiful ladies! Let’s empower and hand hold each other. Warmly, Diana
Diana~
We are so proud of you! We know sharing your story will motivate so many to continue or start their own health & fitness journeys!
xoxo, The Sugar & Spice Girls
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-WHO WE ARE-
Sugar & Spice Photography is a Minnesota based, women-owned small business that specializes in boudoir and pinup photography.
WE ARE...moms, wives, engaged, divorced or single women...and we are on a mission to share our passion with you! Our intimate & tasteful boudoir photography is created to...
...CELEBRATE each woman's individuality, helping them to look and feel beautiful, be playful and ooze sexuality with dignity, elegance and class.
...ENLIGHTEN and empower the women that we touch, and help them realize that they are beautifully and wonderfully made by their Creator.
...TRANSFORM and unveil the inner bombshell of each woman, by pampering her, laughing with her, and making her feel as amazing as she is!
Our fierce team of females work as a team of two to get the best results and most shots possible. The Coaching + Attention to Detail = Amazing Results
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-A LUXURY, EMPOWERING, BODY POSITIVE EXPERIENCE-
A boudoir photography shoot with us is done tastefully and beautifully with an all female team to nurture your comfort and ensure that you feel pampered, empowered & sexy! Nervous? We will coach you through the entire amazing, super fun experience…from outfit selection to posing! We’ll give you the Hollywood treatment and help bring out your inner supermodel!
Our sessions INCLUDE hair styling - with clip-in hair extensions at no additional cost, professional photography makeup & false lash application.
Our drawers and closets are OVERFLOWING with smoldering lingerie & sexy costumes in sizes 0-26 and tons of shoes, accessories and props for you to choose from!
We have an adorable 6,000 sq ft studio serving Minneapolis and the Twin Cities with more than 20 amazing sets and countless props: from the bedroom ...to the kitchen ...to the locker room ...and everything in between!
Say BUH-BYE to lumps & bumps, cellulite, stretch marks, scarring & unwanted tattoos! We will contour & shape body to enhance your natural beauty. We have photographed women of ALL shapes, sizes & ages & we are masters of retouching. Our custom-tailored products INCLUDE body shaping & retouching.
You may be shocked that the perfect gift for him...turns out to be the perfect present for you, too….! Check out hundreds of testimonials from our clients who left their session feeling empowered, confident, beautiful and sexy! Discover your inner bombshell with a boudoir photo shoot experience with Sugar & Spice Photography.
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