Olivia White, 27-year-old mommy blogger, couldn’t help but notice that there was a growing trend of mothers proudly sharing their fit, in shape post-pregnancy bodies online. These mothers were talking about how quickly they’d managed to get back in shape and what exercises they were doing.
White felt that this trend was putting a lot of pressure on moms everywhere to regain their pre-pregnancy bodies, to hit the gym and work out just to return to the way they looked before they had children.
As a mother with her own post-pregnancy struggles, White decided to use social media to take a stand against this trend.
White invited a professional photographer to take shots of her post-pregnancy body and then posted these photos – accompanied with her personal thoughts – on Facebook.
Unlike the mothers who were taking great pride in their toned tummies, White proudly drew attention to her altered features: “puffy face, droopy milk filled breasts, wider hips, and belly full of stretch marks.”
She acknowledged that her appearance is a far cry from the “’transformation’ body so many ogle or aspire to,” but she’s incredibly proud of how she looks because it was this altered body that nurtured and “grew” her babies to become “big and strong.”
White’s post was met with an overwhelming number of positive responses.
She took to social media a few days later in a live video to respond to the support, “To be honest nothing prompted me to do it, it was more me wanting to show that while the fit mums and fitness gurus out there work exceptionally hard to bounce back, it's simply not a reality for everyone.”
Watch her video here:
