A few months after giving birth (and beyond) most women see changes in their body shape – including changes in their weight. Many mums are not spending hours per week in private gym sessions. Neither are they opting for plastic surgery. For many women the post-pregnancy scenario plays out differently.
When your attention is drawn to a “lose weight tips” article, it’s hard to not feel a little “in the spotlight”. If you receive further comments from other quarters about “being careful about weight gain” post 35+, you just might start to feel aggrieved.
“Hey!”, you’d probably start thinking, “did Boomers and their older cohort have people going after them about their weight in the 1980s? Is this a topic that men endure? Nobody seemed to mind when I was too underweight before I had children.”
The feedback just might not end there.
“You don’t exercise enough.”
“You don’t exercise at all.”
“Being on the go running around with young children all day does not constitute exercise.”
“You’re not breaking a sweat.”
Of course behind all of these comments there is the seemingly endless stream of health information that we can access online. We know what type of grain to eat and which cooking oil is the perfect choice. We know which supplements we should be using. We’re all doing yoga. Aren’t we? (Oops. Are you not putting up your hand?)
Nobody is saying that it’s a bad thing to exercise or to live healthily; however, each of us is on a different path and we’re all heading towards our own individual destinations.
On that note, your doctor just might say that you have a textbook perfect BMI. Right – BMIs aren’t necessarily accurate.
A trending story on social media shows a photograph of Marilyn Monroe in a yellow bikini. It is impressive how there are so many photographs of Marilyn. Just when you think you’ve seen them all, you find more. Our pop culture concept of the “perfect body” might have changed, but we all seem to still think that Marilyn was beautiful AND desirable – curves et al.
The Facebook page Empowered Living hosted the following comment about Marilyn’s yellow bikini and rug photo:
Empowered Living’s caption: Marilyn Monroe….the worlds biggest icon! Her tummy isn’t tightly toned, her thighs touch, her arms aren’t skinny, she has stretch marks and her boobs aren’t perky. She is known as one of the MOST BEAUTIFUL women in history. Be confident girls. You are HOT, you are SEXY, you are a Marilyn so do not let any man, media or moment of judgement ever take away your confidence! ?
If you’re the person handing out advice or glancing at a mum’s stomach, think about how you might support her differently. Celebrate her special qualities whenever you can and accompany her on her journey of wellness rather than watching, with a judgmental eye, to see if she’ll sink or swim.
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