Rachel Hollis, an author, blogger and mother of three, recently shared a picture of herself wearing a bikini at the beach while vacationing in Cancun. The first thing I noticed when it popped up on my news feed was her gorgeous smile, but her pearly whites weren't the subject of the headline. Her belly was.
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Inspired by the imperfections of her own body and confident from having just completed her first marathon, 32-year-old Hollis, whose kids are 8, 6 and 2, shared the photo on the Facebook page for her blog The Chic Site in the hopes that the photo would encourage other women to be proud of their bodies. The photo was snapped by her husband and was actually an outtake from her attempts at taking a cute posed photo.
"I have stretch marks and I wear a bikini. I have a belly that's permanently flabby from carrying three giant babies and I wear a bikini," she wrote. "My belly button is saggy… (which is something I didn't even know was possible before!!) and I wear a bikini. I wear a bikini because I'm proud of this body and every mark on it. Those marks prove that I was blessed enough to carry my babies and that flabby tummy means I worked hard to lose what weight I could."
Hollis' message could not be more clear: We do not need to be ashamed of or hide our post-baby bodies. They are beautiful, not because they are magazine perfect, but because they grew and sustained life. Because they've been pushed as far as they could possibly be pushed and survived.
Before I became a mom, I always thought I would be proud of my body no matter what it looked like after I had kids. Mainly, because I had always been so awed by the resiliency of the female body. And you know what? Even though my body changed in ways I never could have imagined–literally everything is in a different place than it used to be–I do love my body, stretch marks, cellulite, saggy skin and all. I'll admit, it took a while to feel totally comfortable and accepting of my new physique, and at times it was pretty difficult. But I was in a bikini two months after my son was born. Not because I had my body back or thought I looked great, but because that's what I'd always worn and felt good in. Because if people looked at me and thought, "Oh, she must be a mom," I was okay with that. Even if they didn't approve of my swimwear choices, I just didn't care.
So mami, let's take a cue from Rachel Hollis and shed the shame about our so-called imperfect bodies and embrace where we are today. Wear what you feel comfortable in and wear it with confidence. And when you start to feel a little unsure, remember that another woman might just catch a glimpse of you and all of your glorious "flaws," and be inspired to love her own body.
Image via The Chic Site/Facebook
