PHENOMENAL Jensen photo op story! A *must read* by anyone with self-image issues

As related to me via email by Jennifer, @Jennife14402688 on twitter



So, I guess I should start at the beginning…

I was super nervous and scared to go to the con in Houston. I’m 31 years old and I got married at 18 to a guy I started dating at 14 and started having kids at 20, so I’ve never actually gone out of town alone in my entire life before. I was a nervous wreck! So the first night in Houston, I took a pic with Kim Rhodes. I was freaking terrified. It took 3 shots to get it right–finally, she was like “don’t be nervous, I don’t bite that hard. you’re not breathing, just breathe”. So I did, and survived. Barely. lol. Needless to say, I was even more nervous for pics the rest of the weekend!! So Saturday I did a Misha/Mark combo which was nerve-wracking because I literally could not remember the events of the photo op after it was done because I was so overwhelmed. Six billion times hotter in person, I was a mess. The pic came out “eh”, not really awful but not good.



So Sunday morning was my Jensen photo op. I had finally made a couple of friends at the con on Saturday so I was loosening up a little bit, but when I got my first glimpse of Jensen I started shaking. Like, complete body trembling like a teenage girl as soon as the line progressed to the point where we could enter the photo op room. When I got halfway from the door to the photo area, my eyes were teary and it was talking all of my concentration and focus not to be the girl crying for her picture.



I’m overweight. I’ve had five kids in under 10 years and it shows. I don’t have a pretty smile and I don’t have pretty feminine features. I hate taking pictures in general and no picture I have ever taken has come out well. I have a very low self-esteem and have a history of depression, so I’m even harder on myself than most people. But even with that in mind, I know that I’m the ugliest girl in the room and I don’t want him to have this ‘why do I have to take a picture with this cow’ face on (not that I thought he would, but that’s just the expression I read on *everyone’s* face when I take a picture with someone) So when I get to Jensen, I lose all common sense and I blurt out the first thing that comes to my mind:

“Please, just smile like I’m not fat and ugly.”



He says, “Don’t say that about yourself.” in this really firm and nice voice that made me get teary again. I kind of shrugged and said “Well, it’s the truth.” Because it is, and I know it. So he gives me a big hug for the pic, and I swear I could no longer feel the floor beneath me because I had lost all sense of the world during that moment.



So they snap the picture, and before I could walk away, he says, “hey”. I look at him and he put a hand on each side of my face and sort of cupped it, and said “You’re beautiful, don’t ever let anyone tell you any differently.” in this serious and incredibly kind and compassionate voice. I had no idea how to respond to that and I was about to cry and I was shaking again and all I could say was “Okay” and then walk away. Once I was out of the room, I cried. It was the single-handedly nicest thing anyone has ever said to me in my entire life. He didn’t have to say that, and he may have just been saying it to be nice because I know I’m not beautiful!, but it really touched my heart. I’m never going to forget that moment for the rest of my life.



So, my lengthy Jensen story….he’s the most amazing and down-to-earth human being alive.

