Stephanie and her fiancé Arryn (who asked that only their first names be used) posed for photos to promote a message of body positivity. They had no idea the pictures taken by Bria Terry of Wolf & Rose would go viral, but they did.
You may have seen them:
During the photo shoot Stephanie had this to say:
"I wasn’t worrying about how I looked, I was just looking at Arryn and that made me feel confident. He looks at me all the time, but the way he looked at me during the photo shoot, I could feel it was different because I could focus on him.”
When social media got a hold of the photos, there was an outpouring of positive feedback:
All:WOLF & ROSE PHOTOGRAPHY / VIA FACEBOOK: WOLFNROSEPHOTOS
Unfortunately, after the photoshoot went viral, Stephanie's co-workers began sharing the photos. Her employer, Austin Bank Texas N.A., called Stephanie into the office and said they were concerned about the photos and how they would reflect on the company's image.
Stephanie was fired.
She had this to say about her termination:
“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. They said I was topless and it was inappropriate and we’re a family-oriented company.
As a company, if they feel what I do outside of my job is going to jeopardize their business, that's fine. It’s just disheartening to me because I feel like home life and work life are two totally different things. I was a model employee, I was moving up fast. I had a promotion within seven months. This one thing, for me, was the reason I was booted."
As far as their relationship goes, Stephanie and Aaryn are going strong.
“Arryn called me while he was at work, and he said the pictures had like 30,000 shares. He’s never been in the spotlight and he said, 'All the comments are about you!' He said, 'I know this helps you and I’m glad we did this. I wouldn’t change anything. I know that this makes you happy."
And in fact, the happy couple just found out that they're having a baby boy!
As the story grew people on social media became outraged that Stephanie was fired from her job.
Here's hoping Stephanie gets her job back!
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