It's no secret that I try to make girls look "strong", instead of "mature" in their photos. I had always wanted to have a self-defense class for my Fearless Spirit Model Crew but had a hard time finding a female to teach it. Finally, in 2020 after Haylee joined the model crew, I found out that her MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) coach was female and was willing to come to the studio to teach the class. Now, it has become a staple for each Fearless Spirit Model Crew. The class is taught by Reba Torres @daqueenreaper. She is a MMA fighter in Hampton Roads, Virginia. I wanted the crew to be able to protect themselves but also, see how strong they really are.
We had the class and photoshoot indoors with my bungee equipment. After their class, they were pumped and ready to go for the photoshoot. I had them put on a harness that is attached to a bungee, so they can run and jump toward the camera...while doing their new self-defense techniques.
What is Fearless Spirit?
About 8 years ago, I started hearing from EVERY mother of a middle school girl, how their self-confidence plummeted when they reached middle school. This is when girls start to be mean and bully other girls. Their once out-going child, was now shy, sad, guarded and kept to themselves most of the time. And then, add Covid anxiety on top of that. They have a lot stacked against them. Parents can only do so much. Parents can tell them, until they’re blue in the face, how beautiful and special they are, but teens need something more.
Having self-confidence at this time in their life is vital for building a strong person, that will believe in themselves and succeed at their life goals. I began Fearless Spirit Model Crew for girls 11-16 years old, who are really struggling with their self-confidence and anxiety. This is a totally different approach to help teens. They get their own custom photoshoot and get to participate in 7-8 monthly fun and artistic group sessions.
By seeing beautiful images of themselves, over and over, for 7 months, they start to see how beautiful they are and how cool it is to be unique and stand out from the crowd.
