Hey :)
October 19, 2022 at 7:05 am
(This post was last modified: October 19, 2022 at 7:11 am by arewethereyet.)
Hi everyone! I'm a first time poster (but a long time lurker!) on this sub and I thought I would share my experiences of my journey in leaving the Mormon Church and the impact that had on my body confidence. If it helps just one person on their journey then that would be fab.
I'm a married mum of 2 living in the UK. I was part of the faith since birth (my parents were very religious) and myself, my sister and my brother all served missions for the Church. I didn't start to question any teachings until I was in my early 20s. I went off to University and I was exposed to a huge range of people from different backgrounds with different life experiences which made me question things I was taught. I still stayed as part of the Church during this time and I put those questions to one side. I got married and we started a family who we also began to raise within the faith
The questions and doubts I was feeling started to rise and ultimately led me to leave. My husband and I were on the same wavelength and we ended up leaving in 2020. It felt so freeing to be away and to raise our family in a loving, open and supportive environment. There was also some sadness as this led to a strain on friendships and family relationships but I'm confident that we made the right decision to leave. My self esteem was at an all time low whilst part of the JW - I was made to feel ashamed and embarrassed about my body, as I am sure many men and women in the organised religion can relate to.
Fast forward to 2 weeks ago - we live in a village in the UK and my husband is part of the Community Fundraising Group. They work together to raise money for local Charities and to provide volunteering and help for people in the community. The village has close links with a local Cancer Charity and Hospice and (after being inspired by the fab film Calendar Girls!) our Community Group decided to create a Naked Charity Calendar (quite popular in the UK - not sure if it is in the US?) where residents of the village would volunteer as models and all proceeds raised by the sale of the Calendars would go to charity. I found out that they were looking for volunteer models so, after the discussing and getting the support from my husband, I decided to step WAY out of my comfort zone and do something I never would've considered before.
Our neighbour and friend Alan, who is a retired photographer and was actually a member of the Mormon Church for over 40 years himself before leaving, kindly offered his services to be the official photographer for free. The Calendar had a theme of a 'Candid Day of the Life' and my month was January at the start of the 'Day'. Alan did the photoshoot at my house last week and I can honestly say it was such a liberating and amazing (albeit nerve-wracking!!) experience. Alan was so kind and professional throughout and I am so glad that I took part (I don't know who was more nervous, him or me lol!). It felt as if I had finally liberated myself from the Church and claimed my body confidence and self esteem back. If you are ever feeling low or down then do step out of your comfort zone, you'll surprise yourself!
It was definitely a very surreal experience for myself - I married when I was quite young in the Church with my now husband being my only previous boyfriend, so Alan is the only man other my than husband I have exposed my bare ass to.
Alan sent me across one of the photos from the shoot which I've shared below
Apologies for the long ramble! More than happy to answer any questions about the shoot etc.
Kate
I'm a married mum of 2 living in the UK. I was part of the faith since birth (my parents were very religious) and myself, my sister and my brother all served missions for the Church. I didn't start to question any teachings until I was in my early 20s. I went off to University and I was exposed to a huge range of people from different backgrounds with different life experiences which made me question things I was taught. I still stayed as part of the Church during this time and I put those questions to one side. I got married and we started a family who we also began to raise within the faith
The questions and doubts I was feeling started to rise and ultimately led me to leave. My husband and I were on the same wavelength and we ended up leaving in 2020. It felt so freeing to be away and to raise our family in a loving, open and supportive environment. There was also some sadness as this led to a strain on friendships and family relationships but I'm confident that we made the right decision to leave. My self esteem was at an all time low whilst part of the JW - I was made to feel ashamed and embarrassed about my body, as I am sure many men and women in the organised religion can relate to.
Fast forward to 2 weeks ago - we live in a village in the UK and my husband is part of the Community Fundraising Group. They work together to raise money for local Charities and to provide volunteering and help for people in the community. The village has close links with a local Cancer Charity and Hospice and (after being inspired by the fab film Calendar Girls!) our Community Group decided to create a Naked Charity Calendar (quite popular in the UK - not sure if it is in the US?) where residents of the village would volunteer as models and all proceeds raised by the sale of the Calendars would go to charity. I found out that they were looking for volunteer models so, after the discussing and getting the support from my husband, I decided to step WAY out of my comfort zone and do something I never would've considered before.
Our neighbour and friend Alan, who is a retired photographer and was actually a member of the Mormon Church for over 40 years himself before leaving, kindly offered his services to be the official photographer for free. The Calendar had a theme of a 'Candid Day of the Life' and my month was January at the start of the 'Day'. Alan did the photoshoot at my house last week and I can honestly say it was such a liberating and amazing (albeit nerve-wracking!!) experience. Alan was so kind and professional throughout and I am so glad that I took part (I don't know who was more nervous, him or me lol!). It felt as if I had finally liberated myself from the Church and claimed my body confidence and self esteem back. If you are ever feeling low or down then do step out of your comfort zone, you'll surprise yourself!
It was definitely a very surreal experience for myself - I married when I was quite young in the Church with my now husband being my only previous boyfriend, so Alan is the only man other my than husband I have exposed my bare ass to.
Alan sent me across one of the photos from the shoot which I've shared below
Apologies for the long ramble! More than happy to answer any questions about the shoot etc.
Kate
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