How do you feel about Boudoir Photography? Do you feel it is a superficial photography session that entails taking sexy pictures that only showcases your body…
Or are you like Jaime Rampersad who continues to fight this presumption, a cause she has taken up that allows women to see that the experience goes a whole lot deeper and changes the way we see ourselves.
For many women, this is a transformative experience because prior to doing a session, societal conditioning has led them to believe that in order to be worthy they had to be young and have a certain body type. Doing a boudoir session gives all women, regardless of age, size, shape, or color, the opportunity to see themselves in a beautiful positive light and discover facets of their personality that they would not normally have gotten to see. This gives them a newfound appreciation for and of themselves. Jaime realized that this was an opportunity for her to help so many women redefine what beauty is in their eyes. This new definition is quite empowering, and it acts as a driving force for change in other areas of their lives.
Read more of what Jaime has to say…
They say that 40 is the new 30 but for Trinidad and Tobago-based Photographer/Makeup artist, Jaime Rampersad, instead of ushering in this new chapter in her life with enthusiasm and hopefulness, she was onset by a mini midlife crisis. Fortunately, she didn’t go out and buy herself a red convertible but instead, she started to question beliefs about herself she had held onto for many years. ‘Was beauty just for the young and were there certain things that were no longer acceptable for her to do because of her age?’, ‘Was she supposed to consider herself old and not as attractive as a younger woman now?’ These were the questions stirring in her mind that made her feel uneasy about this milestone. But let’s start from the beginning.
At the age of 24, after gaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems and Management, to everyone’s surprise, Jaime decided to become a makeup artist. While it seemed radically unusual, it was the natural progression of a deep-seated passion Jaime held dear. From the moment she saw her mom apply that unmistakably ruby-red lipstick, she was hooked! Every day she sat in awe as her mom applied her makeup; taking in every single genius stroke and watching her mom use her instruments to transform right before her eyes. “It was magical!” thought Jaime, so much so that later she even started shaping her friends’ eyebrows (those who would let her anyways).
When she became a full-fledged Makeup Artist Jaime knew she wanted to differentiate herself from others in her field. In 2006, she decided to offer airbrush makeup and was the first to introduce this type of makeup to the local market in Trinidad & Tobago. Soon, women from all over the country were coming to her to experience this new, flawless, ultra-lightweight makeup application that lasted for hours even under the humid conditions we often experience here in the Caribbean. She was able to see right before her eyes how the power of transforming women with makeup made them feel. Oftentimes, when they were handed the mirror, she would see a look of surprise and delight followed by a broad smile across their face and then an accepting nod. They left her chair with a pep in their step that seemed to make them walk a bit taller and more confidently. This reaction was something she absolutely loved, and it became almost addictive for Jaime to witness. It was from that moment she knew it was her God-given purpose to serve women in this way and to help them see their full potential. She wholeheartedly loved her business and the impact it was making. “Seeing women leave my makeup chair feeling great about themselves and knowing I had a part to play in that made me feel like I was doing something great…. something that mattered”. All was going well for Jaime when she decided to get married, have a baby, and move to Katy, Texas all in the same year. With no support from extended family in Texas, she became a stay-at-home mom and was forced to stop doing what she loved to focus on this new stage of her life. This was a real blow to her confidence, and it affected all areas of her life. She felt lost, as she no longer had the identity of entrepreneur, she possesses for all those years. She didn’t know who she was, and she yearned to return to the familiarity of her business. After two years of being a full-time, stay-at-home mom, she decided to revamp her business right where she was. She began working with photographers to build her portfolio as a Makeup Artist…
Read more of Jaime’s story below…
