Supermodel and Internet socialite Chrissy Teigen continues combating trolls and body shamers by embracing the gift of life.
Women recover from post-birth differently, and unless you're Blake Lively in a fabulous black and white gown on the red carpet months after giving birth, new moms take a break from making appearances for fear of being judged.
After she and her husband John Legend welcomed baby Miles into the world, Teigen sent an important message on Twitter demonstrating that although not all bodies are the same after enduring the stresses of carrying a child, they are temples still worth worshiping.
She took to Twitter and shared with us her reality. "I guess these just aren't gonna go away," she tweeted, revealing her stretch marks. "This is my body."
And we're loving her for it.
She followed up her tweet with humility, adding, "Mosquito bites are a nice touch."
Still looking beautiful and happy, Teigen also shared a picture sharing a smooch with her musician hubby.
Teigen praised celebrity mothers re-emerging into the public eye lacking any physical evidence of enduring child birth, but she also let her fellow sisters on social media know that it's okay not to follow unattainable standards.
The concept of the swelled ankles vanishing post-birth is a common misconception among most women. That is not the case.
According to Dr. Shannon Clark, associate professor in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, swelling in the lower extremities typically remain.
She told U.S. News:
Once the uterus is empty, that blood has to go somewhere.
Teigen was on to something when she commented that her stretch marks will never go away. The marks may fade over time, but they never disappear completely.
Personal trainer Noelle Yanik from South Carolina provided an empowering suggestion for most of women dealing with the stigmatization of stretch marks.
At first, you feel so mutilated and like it's so unfair that you have to wear these scars for the rest of your life. But if you allow yourself time to be angry or frustrated, you can eventually come to terms with the marks as symbols of what your body can do.
It's a much less superficial way of viewing our bodies, and it feels pretty powerful.
Teigen's tweet made other women come forward to open up about their own experiences after birth.
Some were happy to continue a motivational conversation.
This user questioned the authenticity of some of the women flaunting their perfect bodies on Instagram.
At the end of the day, this sums it up perfectly.
H/T - Twitter, USnews, cosmopolitan