Audrey Waldron is a woman who wears many hats–or, more accurately, many bathing suits. You were likely impressed by her confidence, beauty, and…well…sex appeal rocking all her swimwear if you’ve seen her on social media. But the truth is, her superpower goes far more than skin deep–in fact, she has utilized all of her gifts to create a dynamic swimsuit brand for women, She Does, to empower women–especially mothers–who still want to feel empowered in their own sexiness.
After all, before beginning She Does, Audrey was a business owner and her ex-husband, living the everyday busy female life as a mother to three wonderful daughters. Needless to say, she had zero intention of becoming a swimwear model. “My swimwear journey started by accident when my ex-husband posted a swimwear pick of me on Instagram and tagged the company I was wearing,” said Waldron. “That company asked me to be a brand ambassador, and before I knew it, I was modeling swimwear for multiple brands. This, of course, led to meeting wonderful photographers, graphic artists, designers, and others in the industry. It stirred my passion for creating my own line. I knew the fabric I liked, the cuts on a bathing suit that looked best on a woman, and I wanted to pivot from model to entrepreneur. This, of course, proved to be a much harder on-ramp than I had anticipated.”
The Mission Of She Does At Its Core
As a mother and businesswoman, Waldron knows that women are faced with such a unique set of challenges when it comes to their image, what we and society define as “good,” and what women are told is “good”. “We are influenced by so many things in our daily life, many of which contradict social norms or stereotypical woman characteristics,” said Waldron. “We want children, but we want a meaningful career. We want to feel beautiful, but we want to be strong. Can we have all of our goals, or do we have to choose to be unilateral in achieving our goals? Can we reach our goals professionally and still raise a family with strong moral values? Can we look sexy and feel beautiful without letting physical characteristics define us? I believe we can!”
She Does is a brand that was literally born from Waldron’s personal dilemmas. She Does was conceived by the incredible blessing of raising a family but wanting to achieve more of the professional goals that she set out for herself. Waldron wanted to find a way to balance the struggles of giving their absolute all to her kids yet still having the ability to be her best self physically and mentally. “We believe that SHE can be a mom and an entrepreneur, SHE can be sexy and the PTA president, SHE can change a diaper and change the world, and because SHE DOES it all, you can too!”
Society Pigeonholes Mothers–And Why This Is Wrong
When you become a mother, you are expected to adhere to restrictive societal norms. Women who deviate from those norms are, in fact, considered “deviants.” Generally characterized in a bucket by several derogatory terms meant to imply that a woman has loose morals, weak character, and no other way to make money or be successful unless they are showing some “skin”. “I have definitely been characterized in this bucket because I modeled swimwear when none of the aforementioned applied to me,” said Waldron. “What I realized through my experience as a swimwear model and mother is that just because I’m a mom doesn’t mean I can’t have sex appeal in an elegant manner. A manner I don’t mind showing my kids. I shouldn’t have to kill off the hard work it took to diet, work out, and conduct photoshoots just because I have children. I can be both, and I’m not going to bury that desire to do more because societal norms may not support that lifestyle.”
Waldron continues: “Here’s the deal, I know I’m not alone. She Does is more than swimwear, She Does Sexy, She Does Nutrition, She Does Fitness, She Does Carpool, She Does Soccer Mom Duties, She Does It All.”
The Ups And Downs of Waldron’s Entrepreneurial Journey
Surprisingly, the most challenging part of Waldron’s endeavors has been manufacturing the suits. It’s hard to find a competent manufacturer with experience in swimwear, MOQ’s (minimum order quantities) in check for small businesses, and reasonable turnaround times. “There are also the mental struggles of sticking with the tasks during all the hard and dynamic obstacles, navigating around the struggles of a startup, and how to build, grow, and brand starting from ground zero is a pretty steep learning curve,” said Waldron. “The most rewarding is creating something out of nothing, owning the journey, and really embracing the brand’s story is what I thoroughly enjoy the most. It’s not the destination, but the learning and navigating of each obstacle that has taught me so much about business and myself as an entrepreneur and creator.”
The Future of She Does, According To Waldron
She Does was born with one thing in mind: empowerment.” I was empowered after having three children, struggling with hormones, and embarking on a journey of self-discovery found that I was not only able to be a mom, an entrepreneur, and a swimwear model all at the same time but be successful in all these endeavors,” explained Waldron. “I see She Does in five to ten years now as a globally successful company because I know I’m not the only woman and mother who has struggled and gone through the journey that I have. I hope to touch more and more lives and be the torch to light the way for other women on a similar path to self-discovery and embracing all of who they are. She Does it all because, as women, we do it all!”
As seen on Disrupt Magazine: https://disruptmagazine.com/how-this-bathing-suit-brand-empowers-women-of-all-ages/
