Being a mum is super sexy – and one woman is proving it in abundance.
A mother who was left with a “saggy jelly belly” admitted she felt like “damaged goods” after her body changed, but now slips into sexy lingerie and works as a model. Mum-of-three, Holly Ramejkis, 36, speaks openly about her journey to self confidence by using her Instagram page – @thebodypositivemum – and confessed she felt she lost her sense of identity after becoming a mother.
After turning 30 she reclaimed her confidence, vowing to show her true self and shape online to empower other women. Her authenticity has since earned her over 45,000 followers on the social media platform.
Her success online led her to become a model for a new lingerie company, Boa Boa. The brand has been created to “make women of all shapes and sizes feel confident and sexy” according to CEO, Katie Dadzie, who is engaged to TV presenter Nick Knowles.
Holly said: “We are so conditioned by society and social media that our bodies shouldn’t look a certain way but – let’s be honest – more people probably have a body like mine over a size 8-10. It’s very rare to see a mid-size body represented in sexy lingerie, but I know from my followers that I am inspiring them.
“I’ve made women look at themselves in a new light and I’m so proud of that. Because my body is normal, anyone who has lost weight or has kids and has a jelly belly now should still feel comfortable and sexy.”
She continued: “I make it my mission to be honest and show all my lumps and bumps and loose skin – it’s empowering to be liked for who I really am. Life has been quite a rollercoaster, but I’ve learned that every twist and turn has shaped me into who I am today.”
Holly said her success online has led to big brands like Joe Browns, River Island and Studio working with her. She thinks it’s all down to her sharing honest content that other mums can relate to about family life, and embracing your body after having children.
“I’ve struggled with dyslexia, which at times made me doubt my own intelligence,” she added. “After I gave birth to my first child at 21, I gained five stone and I had all these stretch marks.
“I thought I was damaged goods and nobody would want my new body. I lost my identity. I battled with yo-yo dieting. Then when I hit 30, something shifted.
“I embarked on a self-love journey, and I found myself again. I decided to embrace everything about me and put myself out there.
“It was scary, but it was worth it. Now I run courses to help other women gain self confidence and love and appreciate their bodies.”
Holly, who also runs a female empowerment photography company called Liberty Photography, believes sharing images of her saggy tummy skin, stretch marks and a pouch that overhangs has helped her to connect with women all around the world.
She said: “So many people get in touch to thank me for sharing a body that looks like theirs. I’ve had trolls and negative feedback too – one comment on a picture called me a lard a*** and trolls tell me to put it away but it all gives me fuel to do it more and love my body.”
Being transparent about her flaws has also helped Holly to achieve incredible things – including being selected as a model for new lingerie brand Boa Boa following a nationwide search.
Boa Boa’s founder, Katie Dadzie, 33, also models the underwear. The mum-of-two, who has two daughters from a previous relationship, said: “I wanted Boa Boa to be a brand that helps to make women of all shapes and sizes feel confident and sexy. So frequently, underwear brands will only use tiny models, and this does nothing for older and or curvier women.
“It doesn’t help their self-esteem, but it also doesn’t indicate what the underwear will look like on them. Wearing a matching set of underwear can do loads to make you feel better about yourself.”
Katie and Holly flew to Marbella, Spain, to model for a photoshoot in readiness for the launch of Boa Boa.
Katie said: “All of us modelling were mums in our 30s, and I thought that was a really lovely refreshing angle to have at a lingerie shoot.”
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
