Physical changes are a guarantee when a woman is carrying a baby and they are also likely after the bundle of joy is delivered.
For many women, these changes include stretch marks. And often, women are made to feel ashamed of these lines on the skin.
However, some everyday moms are fighting back. Many have been sharing photos of their marks using the hashtag #LoveYourLines to let people know that pregnancy scars are nothing to be ashamed of.
To no surprise, celebrities often feel the sting of post-baby ridicule to a greater extent, but tough ones like Kelly Clarkson have also told bullies to take a hike.
The latest to join in is model Robyn Lawley, the first-ever plus-size model (size 12) to land the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Lawley, who gave birth to a baby girl, Ripley, in February 2015, fired back weeks after she read an article that said she considered having an "abortion to avoid stretch marks."
She deemed the article in a U.K. publication a complete fabrication and shared a photo proudly showing off her stretch marks.
"It hurt so bad, the comments that ensued were derogatory to say the least," she wrote about the publication's words.
"I'm familiar with being bullied, once for not having a thigh gap (insert face palm) but to bully me for something I never said, not to mention my decision would need to be more based on the fact that I will be taking care of someone's life, a heavy decision to make, would never rest on getting stretch marks alone."
Lawley was very much affected by this article and fought to have the lies corrected.
"I personally tweeted the author of the gossip website to 'have a heart' as it was causing a huge amount of stress to me and I was worried about my unborn baby's health," she wrote.
But don't think this article, which has been pulled, made her feel ashamed of her stretch marks.
"As for my stretch marks I knew they were coming and as they're fading into white ( like all my others) I thought I might capture them. Because they are some bad *** #tigerstripes smile emoticon. And I earned them," she said.
She also wants other women to feel the same as she does.
"We put an unbelievable amount of ridiculous time consuming pressure on women to care so much about their flaws they forget how truly beautiful they (you) are today. …And put your efforts into skills that rely more on your physical self," she added.
"And to anyone who feels bad about your body especially after a baby, you are a warrior, you created a life inside of you, that's no easy feat."
Robyn Lawley's bold move of sharing a photo of her stretch marks is a great way to help other moms feel proud of the skin they're in.
Please SHARE to help spread this model's powerful message!
