Sunshine Peterson felt like most other moms postpartum – overjoyed with her new little one but disappointed about how her body had changed during her pregnancy.
“After you have a baby you’re just elated and happy, but the reality is you look at yourself and you’re tired and your body has changed,” Peterson said.
After giving birth to her youngest child, Peterson was busy being a mommy to three young daughters and didn’t feel like she had enough time or energy to take care of herself.
“I felt happy on the inside but what was on the outside wasn’t projecting that same feeling,” she said. “You could see by the things that I was wearing before that I wasn’t taking care of myself or feeling the best about myself.”
In 2011, Peterson met Janice Hurley-Trailor, a Scottsdale-based image consultant, who was working on a style advice book for new moms called Beautiful After Baby. Peterson agreed to be featured as one of the 12 different body types within the book.
“My big motivator to do this book were studies that showed that young girls took their thoughts about themselves based on how their mothers talked about themselves,” Hurley-Trailor said. “If you have a 4 year old listening to you feel bad about your body shape, it will have an adverse effect on her no matter how much you tell her how beautiful she is.”
In two days, Hurley-Trailor whisked Peterson through a head to toe makeover. When shopping together, Peterson said Hurley-Trailor made it easy to understand which clothing styles and colors fit her best and why.
“Every woman is trying to get an hourglass-type figure,” Hurley-Trailor said. “You can achieve that with smoke and mirrors, by playing with the colors and proportions of the clothes.”
Hurley-Trailor advises new moms, like Peterson, not to compare themselves to celebrity mothers.
“It is a very natural process to have your body change after having a baby,” she said. “Stay away from the tabloids and what they have to say about getting your pre-body shape back.”
Now, Peterson says she feels like she can confidently identify what suits her body type to shop on her own.
“I know for a fact my body type is a little broader on top, so I focus on wearing a darker color on top as opposed to the bottom,” Peterson said.
After incorporating diet and exercise, Peterson said her renewed self-confidence led her to new opportunities. In 2012, she was featured in a national advertising campaign for Advil.
“I really felt like that whole experience with Janice opened a door for me to be self confident,” Peterson said. “When you feel good as a mom you’re able to take care of everybody.”
For more information and to contact Janice:
www.janicehurleytrailor.com
6833 E. Montreal Place
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
480-219-2210
