Stretch Mark Shaming Is a Real Thing and Women Are Fighting Back
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Everyone has stretch marks, however they can still be a source of shame. Women acquire many stretch marks after having children, but plus-size Sports Illustrated model Robyn Lawley, a new mom herself, is proud of her #tigerstripes, and she recently published a long Facebook post to express this:
Lawley opens the Facebook status update by saying she was very discouraged last year when a gossip blog misconstrued a conversation she had with a friend and reported that she had considered aborting her pregnancy to avoid stretch marks. This devastated Lawley, according to her post, and she endured ample online bullying after that story went live. This prompted her to share a photo showing off her stretch marks eight months after giving birth to start a larger conversation around stretch marks and shaming.
"As for my stretch marks I knew they were coming and as they're fading into white ( like all my others) I thought I might capture them," she wrote. "Because they are some bad ass #tigerstripes. And I earned them. We put an unbelievable amount of ridiculous time consuming pressure on women to care so much about their flaws they forget how truly beautiful they (you) are today. F**k them, who cares, be you, be loud, be proud. And put your efforts into skills that rely more on your physical self."
She added that there's no shame in having stretch marks after delivering a baby, as giving life to another human being is a powerful ability.
"And to anyone who feels bad about your body especially after a baby, you are a warrior, you created a life inside of you, that's no easy feat," she wrote. "It's 2015 we have to urgently make women feel empowered by their bodies and minds."
Lawley, who was the first plus-size model to appear in Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue, inspired many people with her photo, which received more than 4,000 likes on Facebook and more than 5,100 Instagram likes. Here are some notable comments from fans:
Robyn Lawley Instagram - instagram.com
Robyn Lawley Instagram - instagram.com
Robyn Lawley Instagram - instagram.com
Robyn Lawley Facebook - facebook.com
Following all of the support from followers, Lawley shared this photo on Instagram:
"Feeling a lot of love guys, [t]hank you so much for you positive comments it's awesome to read," she wrote. "Love from Rip and I xxx #loveyourbodynow #tigerstripes #regram from my homie @gregchanmanager #flashsobrightimstillblind hahahha #8monthspostpartum"
