‘See her phenomenal bounce-back figure.’‘A-list tricks to avoid stretch marks.’‘Incredible post-baby body!’These headlines after a celebrity has given birth are so palpable you’d assume they were superhuman compared to the rest of the female population.
Of course, we know this is not true. On top of everything else to be concerned with as a new mother – aka looking after a tiny human – your body goes through huge changes.
A point that Chrissy Teigen wants us all to consider, and make visible. The queen of #MumGoals #MarriageGoals #TwitterGoals in one – has been praised for sharing a snap of her inner thigh which bared scars, nine months after giving birth to her daughter with John Legend, Luna. The 31-year-old model captioned the photo on twitter “Whatevs,” highlighting she is unfazed by the completely natural changes to her body.
Fans thanked Teigen on social media for ‘being real’ and normalising stretch marks in the public eye. ‘Girl I got em there too,’ one user wrote. ‘You had a baby. You earned them.’
Hannah, 23, a nurse who gave birth to her daughter 8 weeks ago tells Grazia why women, like Chrissy, have earnt their stripes.
‘After nine months of carrying a child my body has changed as expected. I am now left with stretch marks in replace of my previous soft skin,’ Hannah says. ‘After weeks of obsessing over every product I can find to remove them - applying expensive treatments daily - I am still left with faint lines over my tummy and legs.’
‘Realising they may never go, I have fully embraced them,’ she adds. ‘My husband continues to say how beautiful I am every day. I look at these marks as the best part of my body, as they continue to remind me of the greatest gift my body gave me.’
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