You know what I realised after my latest photoshoot? Any photographer worth their salt can make you look amazing — and Nicii absolutely did. She captured me beautifully. But what you don’t see in those photos… is the real story behind them.

So picture this:
I’d coloured my hair before the shoot because people told me, “Greys won’t look good on camera.”
Well, big mistake. It went orange. Like, ORANGE orange. My hair started breaking, and I ended up chopping it all off. So here I am — rocking a much shorter cut than planned.

And as if that wasn’t enough — halfway through the shoot, Nicii and I realised… I hadn’t even shaved my armpits. 🤦‍♀️ Totally not that important, but I had a moment of, “Oh my god, of course I forgot that too!” Meanwhile, my makeup was melting (I’d done it myself — probably too much foundation, and it was a hot day), and I was still half in funeral mode because, yes — I’d literally just come from a funeral.

People asked if I wanted to reschedule, and I said, “Nope.”
I mean, people don’t schedule their deaths, right? It’s just a natural part of life. I wanted to be there for my friend, and I didn’t want to bail on Nicii either — she’s booked out a month in advance!

Plus, I didn’t want to be a procrastinator or find another excuse to get out of it.
So I showed up. Messy, melty, emotional — but I showed up. And you know what? This is me.
Menopause, midlife, emotions, orange hair, unshaved armpits and all.

Because honestly, who’s got time for perfection anymore? There’s no time to wish we looked like we did three or five years ago. We’ve earned these faces. These bodies. These stories.

This stage of life — whatever version you’re in — is about being you, right now.
Accepting her. Loving her. Letting her take up space — unfiltered, untucked, and completely unapologetic. And if you’re sitting on the fence about doing that thing — the photoshoot, the haircut, the trip, the course, the dream — whatever it is that lights you up…

Just friggin’ do it. Not for likes. Not for approval. But because it makes you feel alive.

So here they are — my latest photos. Raw. Real. Recent. Because this is me.
No edits. No apologies. Just truth.

You know, the funny thing is… it’s never really about the photos, is it?
It’s about what happens inside you when you decide to show up — even when your hair’s orange, your makeup’s melting, and your inner critic’s having a field day.

Because when you show up anyway, something shifts.
A quiet part of your mind goes, “Oh… she means it this time.”
That’s when the body softens, the breath deepens, and the real you starts coming forward — the one who doesn’t need permission or perfection to be seen.

Maybe you can already sense what that would feel like — to stop editing yourself, to relax into your skin, to actually like the woman in the mirror again.
What would open up for you if you did that more often?

It’s funny, isn’t it — how we spend years trying to “fix” ourselves, when all along the real magic happens the moment we stop.
That moment you laugh at the chaos, embrace the cellulite, or even hairy armpit, and think, “Oh well, this is me — and I’m actually doing alright.”

So if there’s one thing this whole experience taught me, it’s this:
Don’t wait until everything looks perfect.
Just start.
Because confidence doesn’t come from how you look — it comes from the decision to be here, fully, as you are.

And when you do that — something inside your brain clicks, your energy lifts, and the woman you’ve always been finally gets to breathe again.

Yours in orange hair & unshaved honesty,

Venetia

xoxo