VANCOUVER, Wash. -- A Vancouver couple is now a viral sensation, thanks to a hilarious risqué photoshoot.
Tyler Arnet, 28, wanted to cheer up his sick wife, Stephanie, 30, who’s fighting cancer. Now photos of Tyler’s face—and much, much more—are circulating around the world.
“I wanted to be fierce and sexy and majestic,” said Tyler, a stay-at-home dad to the couple’s three children.
Tyler served four years as an Army medic in Iraq. Stephanie is an Army recruiter and served as a military police officer in Afghanistan. The couple’s mission now is beating ocular cancer, which Stephanie was diagnosed with in November, requiring radiation and surgery.
“She was down,” said Tyler. “I needed to do something that would take her mind off of cancer, off surgery, off the unknown."
That's when Tyler found an ad for Jill Steenson’s Lillian Lane Photography in Vancouver.
“[Steenson] was looking for a male model to promote her new business and 'dudeoir' photo sessions,” said Tyler. “We hit it off right away and she was like, ‘Alright, bring your briefs and a flannel, see you tomorrow!’”
Steenson photographed Tyler baking cookies in little more than an apron, tossing flour on his face. Another photo shows Tyler with flowers festooned to his beard. The couple's favorite photo shows Tyler lounging on a sheepskin rug, holding a strategically placed pillow adorned with a portrait of actor, Christopher Walken, of whom Tyler and Stephanie are big fans.
“That is the photo I’ve loved since the moment I saw it!” Stephanie said. “It's just the hand placement and the fact that that pillow even exists!”
Tyler presented Stephanie with the photos right before her surgery, Feb. 9.
“My first reaction was just you know, ‘What is this?!?’ It was the best thing I could have gotten prior to going into my surgery… it meant so much," she said.
Tyler said he’s glad he went through with the surprise.
“Stephanie hasn't quit laughing or smiling about it, so it was a win, I think,” Tyler said.
Stephanie posted the photos on Facebook, which have been shared more than 60,000 times.
“I've had multiple gentlemen call me their 'spirit animal,'” Tyler said with a grin.
“We're just two normal people living in the suburbs of Vancouver,” said Stephanie.
“I hope they makes people laugh if they're having a tough time,” said Tyler, “regardless of what it is.”