The Body Positive Influencers That Are Totally Normalising The ‘Mum Bod’
Pregnancy can change your body forever. Fact! And while your Instagram feed may be filled with toned abs and glowing skin, the reality of how your body looks after pregnancy and birth can be quite different. Postpartum bodies come in all different shapes and sizes, and we’re not all ‘lucky’ enough to bounce back into our pre-pregnancy clothes. Dare we say it – there’s a likelihood that we’ll never fit into those clothes again!
But it’s certainly worth remembering that what your body has done is truly miraculous. There’s no need to look in the mirror and feel like you’re staring back at a shadow of your former self. Instead – learn to see a vessel that singlehandedly grew a human being!
Here at Dandy, we’re championing the women baring all on social media to help us learn to celebrate our new-found ‘mum bods’. Here are some of our favourites…
Mum-of-two Meg Boggs has closely documented her motherhood and fertility journey on Instagram in a bid to help others feel at ease with their ‘plus size’ bodies. Having just given birth to her second child, Meg encourages the message that women should never have to feel like they need to conform to a certain body image – and we’re here for it!
We automatically presume that postpartum bodies are about bellies, stretch marks, lumps and bumps – but we rarely think about the effect that breastfeeding can have. Here, Sarah Nicole Landry gets candid about how her chest looks after breastfeeding, and how it’s perfectly normal and beautiful for it to look ‘deflated’ and different to before.
Fitness influencer Anna Victoria took to Instagram just 18 weeks after her birth to show that even fitness junkies shouldn’t have to feel the pressure to get back in ‘shape’.
After having her daughter Rose last year, Stacey has frequently opened up on social media about the natural insecurities she has felt since her body has changed after pregnancy. She shared a poignant message; “I had a little moment getting ready for swimming where I felt a little bit insecure. Then I remembered how grateful I am that my body has grown the loves of my life. For anyone else who hears that mean little voice from time to time. Tell it to get lost and be quiet because it’s lying. You’re so beautiful and your body is incredible. No matter what some of the things we see will lead us to believe.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Mum-of-one Charlotte says that she hated her body after pregnancy, but has slowly learned to love her new figure for what it has given her.
Thought supermodels would never be candid about their postpartum bodies? Well, Ashley Graham is here to break the norm! She’s three children down (including twins) in just a few years and she’s totally loving the body that her babies have given her.
“I have never been as comfortable in my own skin as I am today.” These are the words we can only hope to hear every postpartum person say!
The combination of breastfeeding and that post-birth period isn’t the most glamorous experience. But we’re in awe of Hannah for opening up about it!
Forget the ‘bounce back’, Chessie is all about the ‘pounce back’ after birth. Her ‘strong not skinny’ message is exactly what new mums need to hear.
Chrissy Teigen’s last pregnancy sadly ended in miscarriage, and she shared this photo of her body shortly after she lost her angel baby. “Even though I’m no longer pregnant, every glance in the mirror reminds me of what could have been. And I have no idea why I still have this bump, honestly, it’s frustrating. But I’m proud of where this entire journey took my body and mind in other ways,” she said about the reality of still having a bump weeks after losing her pregnancy.
