Almost every single woman gets stretch marks at some point in life, whether in puberty after going through a growth spurt or while pregnant.
Unfortunately, these reddish lines aren't widely accepted in the media, so women are often encouraged to hide them and cover them up.
Thankfully, celebrities like Chrissy Teigen are starting to openly embrace their stretch marks, which helps other women feel more comfortable with their own bodies.
The most common time women get stretch marks is when they're pregnant. If you're expecting multiples, you might have more serious "stretchies" than people just having one baby.
As your body grows to welcome new babies, your skin has to stretch out. One mom knows this too well.
Hayley Garnett just gave birth to sweet twin girls. Just one week after having them, she went online to share a photo of her bare belly.
[H/T: ScaryMommy]
Hayley shared an image of her belly on Instagram, where it immediately got a lot of attention.
Within just a week, the post had over 11,000 likes.
Hayley wrote:
Happy one week birthday, ladies! This morning Archer asked me what’s wrong with my belly and I told him that all of my babies leave marks on my belly so that I never forget for a second that I grew them in my body all on my own and that they exist earthside with me now!
A forever reminder, whether I’m truly confident having these marks or not, it’s no doubt a testament to the miracles my body has made.
Hayley explained that when her toddler son, Archer, asked what was going on with the way her belly looked, she knew just what to say.
Stretch marks are a great reminder of all the wonderful things women's bodies can do.
Of course, many women are self-conscious about their stretch marks, but they're something we should celebrate.
People who saw Hayley's post really loved it, and it even changed some of their perspectives about their own bodies.
One woman wrote: "I'm having twins in a couple of weeks, and I have been so depressed about my stretch marks. This made me feel so much better!"
Another woman said: "This pic is breathtaking. Really."
"Absolutely beautiful," wrote another person. "I love this perspective as our bodies really are incredible."
A mom said: "Thank you! My oldest is 11 and I got so many stretch marks when I was pregnant with her. I find myself hating them but then think of why I have them. Wouldn't trade any of my kids for a thing."
Women's bodies in the media are always perfect and flawless, but that's not reality.
In real life, women have curves and bumps and lumps. We have cellulite and stretch marks, and those are all just reminders of what makes us so incredible.
Finally, another mom wrote: "They are so adorable! I have 3 kids and each time I got a few more stretch marks. I wouldn't change a thing. Those are my badges of honor."
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