If you were scrolling through the news this morning, you might’ve noticed a ton of coverage about Amy Schumer showing off her c-section scar. Why? Because the comedian and mum of one posted a picture on Instagram yesterday that gave her followers a glimpse of the scar ‘looking cute’.
Posing side-on in her bathroom mirror, the image on Amy Schumer’s Instagram is one of many she’s shared of her open and honest journey throughout pregnancy, birth and motherhood. While you can’t see the scar fully, you can see that people where absolutely interested, the post receiving near half a million likes. ‘Feeling like my c-section looks cute today!’ she caption the picture with the hashtag ‘hotgirlwinter’.
Soon after, her name began trending on Google as people began to take note of the image. ‘Amy Schumer scar’ and ‘Amy Schumer c-section scar’ were both breakout search terms as people sought to view the image for themselves, or we can only assume, others like it.
But for anyone who grew up with a mother who had a c-section, or perhaps has friends who’ve had them too, this intrigue is quite baffling. Until of course, you realise that we very rarely see c-section scars on celebrities at all – or in TV or films. ‘I’ve never seen a c-section scar on anyone and I’m 37 with a kid of my own,’ says one Grazia reader. ‘I was definitely interested when I saw the picture going around, I always thought they would be really obvious or high up.’
Actually, c-section scars often aren’t super visible because of how low down they can be. Depending on how your surgeon performs the c-section, there are two different types of incisions that can be made.
‘For the abdominal incision, your surgeon can make either a vertical cut from between your navel to your pubic line (classic cut), or a horizontal side-to-side cut in your lower abdomen (bikini cut),’ says Healthline.
Bikini cuts are typically more popular because of the visibility issue, they usually sit just around the top of your knicker line so wouldn’t be noticeable while you’re in underwear or a bikini. But often in cases of emergency c-section, classic cuts – which leave more noticeable scars - can be necessary as they allow the surgeon to reach the baby faster.
Perhaps then we haven’t seen c-section scars much in popular culture because celebrities who have had them have always been lucky enough not to need an emergency c-section – and of course have access to the best healthcare to help diminish scars overtime. Or, like so many other ways women’s bodies and beauty are policed, women who have them have been forced to cover them.
Considering one in four women in the UK have c-sections, and one third of women in the US, you would think we would be more used to seeing them on our favourite celebrities and TV characters – but the fact that everyone is so interested in Amy Schumer’s c-section scar speaks volumes. We don’t really ever see them, and whether it’s because they’re easy to hide or because women feel a need to perhaps it’s time we embrace them on the big screen and beyond.
Read More:
The Shrewsbury Maternity Scandal Is A Reminder That We Need To End C-Section Guilt Once And For All
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