Steph Lovely

By Kirsten Penk

A woman in search of confdence, Steph Lovely recalls the nervously exciting, (or nervouscited as she calls it), day she had at the Be Bold, Be You studio.

It was a haven where she was able to express her true self, with an abundance of corsets and a whole load of black to make her feel truly “sexy”.

“I’ve always been quite gothic, but never had the chance to express it when I was younger because my parents thought it was just a phase”

Now an adult and able to design her own path, Steph wears her gothic looks with pride, and especially wanted to express that in her boudoir shoot at the studio.

When it came to stylistic choices, Steph wanted to wear her Lord Of The Rings and Jurassic Park tattoos loud and proud, accompanied by the most gorgeous corsets and fabulous Game Of Thrones necklace to curate a true representation of herself.

"So what if I've got bigger boobs? Embrace them!" exclaimed Steph.

Not only is this woman a fantastic role model for harbouring confidence, but she also is a perfect example of a dedicated soul.

Steph has worked in the health care system since the height of the pandemic in 2020.

Despite having to experience the awful side to being a carer, she loves her job and couldn’t imagine herself in a different occupation now.

After her shifts, Steph comes home to look after her daughter, eventually hoping to find some time for herself to game, but she is still on the hunt for that perfect balance between work and her personal life.

When that imbalance becomes a little too much, Steph turns to the photos from her shoot, filled with pride, and is able to tell herself that she is still that strong, amazing woman she was on that day.

Now able to find that confidence within herself, Steph explained that it came from focussing on the positives instead of the negatives.

During summer of last year, Steph was able to overcome her body negative thoughts and wear clothes that she’d never worn before because she was proud of the body that she had through embracing the bits that she loved most about herself.

Hiding behind filters and editing techniques to change your appearance on social media has controlled parts of Steph’s life that she now has back.

No longer is she trying to keep up with the trends and fads because they simply are just not her. She has learnt that self love comes from accepting yourself for who you truly are.

This strong-willed, determined woman told us how she turned her life around from rock bottom to something she now is proud to live.