Manda is a part of this year's WomenVisible Project

This is what she had to say, before viewing her images.

I've always been self-conscious about my body...you'd think by my age I'd have got over it. My husband always says he loves my body and I have compliments at work about my figure, but when I look in the mirror, I just don't see it.
I see a boyish figure, not feminine at all, and what I perceive as flaws - no boobs, a wonky eye...

I was born with a cataract and had several operations as a child, the last of which left me with a big black pupil. I am very conscious of how this looks in photos, as my left eye never seems to look at the camera len.

My family all tell me it's fine and they don't see it, but I do... 

I chatted to Anna at length about my concerns - she was very empathetic and reassuring, which gave me the confidence to have the photoshoot.

Despite mixed feelings of excitement and trepidation, the day arrived...
My fears were quickly allayed by Anna, Robin and Holly, the stylist, who made me feel very welcome, explained what would happen and this made me relax straight away.

The photoshoot itself was great fun! We chatted, giggled and my confidence grew as the session progressed.

I was really excited and couldn't wait to see the images, which I hoped would show me that I could be proud of my body, flaws and all!

To anyone thinking of doing a photoshoot, I would say "do it!". You have nothing to lose, you don't have to do anything you don't want to, and you may come away with a whole new perspective about yourself.

And this is how Manda felt, after her viewing.

I was blown away! 

As I entered the studio, I was ‘greeted’ by a large picture of a nude. My initial thought was ‘wow, that’s beautiful'. 

It wasn’t until I looked at Anna, who had a wry smile on her face, I looked back at the picture and realised it was me!

 Looking at the images of me on display, I was beside myself and couldn’t really believe what I was seeing! I felt empowered and actually pretty proud of myself, as I would never have thought I would pose nude. 

Maybe my body isn’t so bad after all. I can accept myself, imperfections and all. They’re what makes me, me.

WomenVisible - The 50 Project, is all about supporting women who want to step outside of their comfort zones, reconnect with themselves, and feel less invisible (even to themselves), through a journey of body confidence and self-love.
It's open to women aged 49 and over. Find out more about the project here.