According to The Knot's 2017 Real Weddings Study, Americans on average spend $6,351 on an engagement ring. (iStock)
A plus-size woman, pregnant with her first child, was reportedly terminated from her company after posting steamy body-positive shots on social media.
Stephanie and Arynn of Overton, TX, had planned to have pictures taken to announce their engagement.
The pair – who preferred to keep their last names private – decided to go for a more revealing outdoor photoshoot, both opting to go topless. While Arynn stayed in his jeans, Stephanie stripped down to a bikini bottom for the sensual river shoot.
FED UP WITH SEXISM FROM INVESTORS, LINGERIE ENTREPRENEUR LAUNCHES LINE ALONE
The pictures, shot by Wolf & Rose Photography, were then posted on the photographer’s Facebook page, sparking a lot of feedback.
The posted photos received over 66,000 reactions on Facebook and thousands of comments calling the couple “beautiful” and one stating, “I probably couldn’t love this more if I tried.”
One picture in particular shows the couple – both without shirts – passionately kissing while Stephanie straddles Arryn.
“I honestly have never felt more attractive,” Stephanie told HuffPost about the shoot. “I was so nervous to see the final result. I didn’t know what to expect. But when I saw the album, I was shocked. I look so in love and confident. Every person should be able to see themselves in that light. It is really eye-opening.”
Though the reactions from both the couple and those on Facebook were largely positive about the photo album, Stephanie’s employer, Austin Bank Texas, was less enthused about how the pictures turned out.
“They said I was topless, and it was inappropriate and we’re a family-oriented company,” Stephanie said to BuzzFeed.
The company decided to let Stephanie go because of the revealing images.
“There was no defending myself, they had made their decision,” she said. “I gave over a year to a company that I worked really hard for and then to have them turn on me for doing something so positive, something that I was so proud of — to help myself as a woman — it was hurtful. People were pulling out their phones at work and showing the pictures and that was blamed on me.”
A bank representative refused to make a comment regarding personnel matters, but users on Twitter and Facebook have been quick to shame the Texas bank over their decision.
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Wolf & Rose Photography posted on their own Facebook page about the situation, saying, “I completely understand that it is perfectly within the company’s rights to terminate someone. Texas is an at will state, and legally her employer did nothing wrong, but I cannot help but wonder how a company who claims to uphold family values can morally terminate an otherwise model employee who is 20+ weeks pregnant with her first child. Their decision not only stripped her of her insurance which is without a doubt a major necessity while pregnant, but also her paid maternity leave.”
But, the bride-to-be doesn’t feel bad about her choice to take the suggestive pictures.
“Stephanie doesn’t regret doing the shoot,” Bria Terry of Wolf & Rose Photography told Yahoo Lifestyle. “She said if it helped even one person feel more confident, it was worth it.”
