I remember the day well. My fiancé, an ex test cricketer, had announced our engagement on social media while we were holidaying in the US. He posted a photo of the two of us in a New York restaurant. We were flooded with well wishes and positive comments. It wasn’t long, however, before the trolls emerged. Amongst the light hearted comments of ‘bowling a maiden over’ and that my fiancé was ‘batting above his average,’ were far less complementary remarks. I needed to ‘eat a hamburger’ and was apparently suffering from some kind of eating disorder.
Much to our delighted surprise, the malnutrioned and food deprived bride to be, would fall pregnant just a few days later.
Fast forward to today. My son is nine and a half months old. When I was pregnant, I was told repeatedly by many ‘experts’ that I would struggle to deliver a child naturally because my hips were too narrow. A subtle note. YOU WERE WRONG. Apparently skinny women struggle with breast feeding too because they can’t produce enough milk. Sorry to deflate your ‘expert bubble’ but wrong again. I’m still breastfeeding and my son is nearly ten months old. No issues with milk production here. Thank you for your concern though.
I even recall my first weigh in at my OBGYN. The nurse double glanced at the scales and looked at me. ‘You weigh forty two kilos’ she repeated twice in total bewilderment. ‘FORTY TWO’. I stood there completely unpeturbed. ‘And your point is?’ I thought to myself. She was convinced I was the lightest person she had ever come across to bear a child. I had been slight my whole life and was always front row of every class photo from reception to year twelve. I wasn’t about to justify how much I ate on a regular basis. That the night before, I had succumbed to pregnancy cravings and had eaten a large wood fire pizza followed by a chocolate molten pudding with triple cream til I felt sick. I knew what she was alluding to. I was familiar with references to anorexia and bulimia. I had heard them more times than I care to remember. It was no surprise to me how much I weighed. I knew the truth and that’s all that mattered.
Sadly, It’s become common place in today’s society to condemn women for being too skinny. Throw a baby into the mix and a post pregnancy selfie of your flat stomach and you have a troller’s paradise ready to aim fire. ‘Skinny slamming’ (aka skinny shaming) is the new trolling trend infiltrating our social media. Where it is now socially unacceptable to be skinny and have a flat wash board stomach after you’ve given birth.
Yes, you heard correctly. Apparently fat is the new black and skinny is just plain offensive. Eh? Yes I’m scratching my head too and thinking exactly what you are.
W.E.I.R.D
Instead of embracing great post pregnancy bodies, we are shaming women who post complimentary pictures of themselves post pregnancy. These body types are seen to be unattainable and unrealistic to the average person. Apparently photos are only to be posted if you are riddled with stretchmarks, sport a post pregnancy spare tyre around your waist and are photographed in your maternity ward with a tray of donuts and custard infront of you. That way you have the majority of the population empathising with you and ‘liking’ your photos. Meanwhile, hot bikini pics will see you crucified and in serious need of wearing a bullet proof vest. Makes perfect sense…right?
The likes of Sophie Guidolin (fitness model who recently gave birth to twins), Rebecca Judd (lifestyle and fashion blogger) and Ashy Bines (fitness model) to name a few, are all prime examples of women who have been the recent subjects of being body slammed by internet trolls for being too skinny post pregnancy. Sophie Guidolin was apparently too fat when she was pregnant and then when she lost the majority of her weight shortly after the birth of her twins, she was condemned for being too skinny. Rebecca Judd has also been under the spotlight for being too skinny pre and post pregnancy.
The latest to come under attack is Ashy Bines who has posted a pic a few days after giving birth to her adorable baby boy. Haters have accused her of not eating properly and have even made reference to her rapid weight loss as being attributed to weight loss pills.
FFS. Get a grip #pathetic
I am certainly no fitness model. I wish I was. In fact, I don’t train and never have, despite the fact that my now, late father, opened the largest health and fitness centre in South Australia. I clearly didn’t get his fitness hungry genes. Unfortunately, nor has any of my husband’s athleticism or desire to train rubbed off onto me.
I may be skinny, but I do have cellulite and have no sign of sporting a bubble butt any time soon. I don’t maintain a fitness regime and I certainly don’t diet. The point is that this is me naturally after giving birth. I have the right to embrace my post pregnancy body (however slight), just as a larger woman has the right to embrace hers.
Trollers are passing their vicious judgements based on their standards. They fail to realise that just because someone’s body has bounced back post pregnancy, doesn’t mean that they aren’t enduring the daily struggles that come with motherhood. Shitty nappies, sleepless nights, breastfeeding, teething, colic, the list goes on (forever).
What really enrages me, however, is that it is becoming totally acceptable to shame skinny women. Turn the tables and shame a ‘large’ woman and you might as well be on a one way ticket to Mars. We can publicly comment on a skinny woman claiming she has ‘anorexia’ but heaven forbid we make any references to someone being fat or obese. In a society that allegedly demands equality and fairness, there is clearly no sign of that thread here.
Having a baby is a momentous and life changing event in a woman’s life. We should allow women to revel in that special moment and enjoy their newborn child(ren) without scorn and without the unneccessary trivial media frenzies that so sadly marre these special moments.
Further a small reminder. Bines, Guidolin and the 7mth pregnant Michelle Bridges are all fitness gurus. Of course they are going to look cracking after pregnancy…duh. Was there ever any doubt? They’ve worked so incredibly hard for their bodies and should be rewarded accordingly. Why do we all act so surprised and outraged that their bodies bounce back so quickly after pregnancy and then feel the need to shame them?
IT MAKES NO SENSE.
Trollers need to read a book or invest their energies into something more productive. There are major political, social and economical problems in our present day society. Unfortunately, having a cracking post pregnancy rig isn’t one of them (we could only wish).
How’s this for an ingenious idea- Be yourself. Don’t feel you need to succumb to the likes of current day namers and shamers. Whoever you are, whatever you look like, however much you weigh, there’s enough room on this planet to embrace and accomodate us all.
It’s time to move on and get over said ‘skinny bitches.’ If you are not comfortable with plastering a selfie on social media of your post pregnancy bod, it’s simple. Don’t. However, do not condemn those who do post photos.
Sadly for the trollers, their grand efforts aren’t working since there’s an epidemic of skinny slamming, meaning more and more women are jumping on the post preg hot bod bandwagon pic and I’m all for it.
Mothers-1 Troller’s-0.
TV Rock said it well- ‘go on and flaunt it, shake whatcha mamma gave you’. Bombard social media with your hot bod pics and stand proud.
Rant over. Now please excuse me. I hear a hamburger calling my name.
KatherynBlewett 