Justice

Woman Gets Real About What Her Body Looks Like After Having Kids

April 12th 2017

One mom just got very real about what a post-baby body can look like.

Sabrina Ewell lives a healthy lifestyle, and 19 years after giving birth, looks like she's in the best shape of her life.

But what's so refreshing about the 40-year-old yoga instructor's Instagram photo that she posted on March 30 is what her stomach looks like now, "in all my 19 year postpartum glory."

"Deep breath... So this is me..."

As Ewell continues in her caption alongside the photo, "I thought this was baggage for so many years." She goes on to write:

"Contemplated tummy tucks numerous times. Had people give me home remedies to 'fix' it that never worked. Felt ashamed because I didn't look like societal norms...

But I've been on a journey of self-discovery for the last 2 years, and the universe has lined me up with thoughts, circumstances, and people that have allowed me to connect with my authentic self. I no longer look to societal norms to define who the fuck I am. I am unapologetically me in my bikinis as I do handstands on the beach because I'm the shit. Fuck your photoshopped imagery because your bullshit no longer applies to me."

She ends her post with some advice to moms who may feel like their bodies need to be "fixed":

"Don't hide your changes from the world that you and your sisters helped create. Be proud of your story. Be proud of your lines. Be proud of who you've chosen to be.."

Instagram is becoming a place where women can show non-photoshopped images of their bodies to inspire others.

On Feb. 23, Ruth Lee posted her own post-baby stomach, which also resonated with not only moms, but women in general.

"I took this picture a few days after I gave birth, when my PPD really first reared its head into my life," Lee wrote. "I took this and actually was horrified. I couldn't believe it was me. I'm sharing it because I know in my heart that there are people out there that struggle with inadequacy."

She's right — there are people out there who are struggling over body image, and it's only worsened by images of seemingly perfect "post-baby bodies" by the media.

Us Weekly post baby bodiesUs Weekly/Bitch Media - bitchmedia.org

It's not that these women should be shamed for "getting their body back"; rather, it's encouraging when women show what their personal reality is regarding a post-baby body, whether it's wrinkles, stretch marks, loose skin or C-section scars.

ATTN: previously reported on a 2014 study among moms who "feel unnecessary pressure to lose weight after giving birth, partly inspired by celebrity culture." As the report stated, "there is a cultural insinuation that a mother’s job is to present herself physically as though nothing as momentously life-changing or body-changing as having a baby has occurred."

But to quote Ewell, "Why be ashamed? A life grew inside of you that gives humanity hope of change."

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