It might be 2026, but there are still people out there with totally unattainable—and biologically impossible—standards for women and their bodies.
A key example is shaming a woman for not having a totally flat stomach. Meanwhile, this is a totally normal feature of a woman's body because it is where a woman's uterus is, and what we're seeing from the outside is the body's protective barrier for that and other organs.
That biological fact hasn't stopped some people, mostly men, from accusing women of looking "fat" or "pregnant" when they wear clothing that reveals that little "bump," though.
Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher, for example, received a comment on a picture of her in a flattering and form-fitting orange dress that she looked "pregnant" because of how the dress fit her.
She was so impressed with her comeback to the man that, even when he deleted his comment, which effectively deleted hers, she decided to share it again in a TikTok that the man would not be able to delete.
According to Maher's screenshot, the anonymous man said, with a laughing emoji:
"She looks pregnant in that dress."
Maher said:
"To him, I say, 'That is just a normal woman's body.'"
"'You probably haven't seen a woman naked in a long time, if ever, and I hope you never get the privilege to again.'"
"'Because that's just how we are, okay? That's just what we're workin' with.'"
"'Me, a professional athlete, and I always have this. It's just part of me.'"
"Please, please, stop commenting the dumbest stuff."
You can watch the video here:
Viewers applauded Maher for speaking out against unattainable expectations for women's bodies.
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It's alarming how many people either don't know basic biological facts or who actively ignore those facts for deeply frivolous reasons.
Thankfully, people like Maher are using their massive platforms to speak out with witty comebacks for the occasional internet troll. Maybe if they come face-to-face with it enough, they'll start to accept the truth.
