New moms are under a lot of pressure. Suddenly, it's their job to try to predict what a tiny, crying human wants and needs. Worse, they have to do this on minimal sleep. Celebrities like Ashley Graham have it even harder. As a model who's been in the spotlight for years, every move she makes will be discussed. And sometimes, criticized.
Ashley Graham has come under fire from Wendy Williams for openly changing her son's diaper in an aisle of office supply store Staples. Ashley likely meant for this moment to go viral — because it wasn't a fan who spotted her. She actually had someone take a picture of the incident, which she later posted on Instagram.
Wendy made note and said she's got nothing but love for Ashley but can't believe she did something like this. "I love Ashley Graham," Wendy clarified. "She has been on our show. We love her. I have seen her out socially. And she is being mommy-shamed by me. I don't like what she did."
Ashley Graham welcomed her son, Isaac, back in January. Not sharing too many details at first, she shared a photo of just his hand right after birth, with a caption of "At 6:00PM on 01/18/2020, we welcomed 7lbs 5oz of love into our world." She added, "Meeting our son has made our hearts incredibly full."
Ever since his arrival, she's shared photos of herself breastfeeding and looking quite tired. Those first few weeks are often exhausting, and Ashley has made sure to document every part of it. She's not just posting the photogenic moments — she's sharing her entire journey.
She's even highlighted her gorgeous stretch marks. As a plus-size model, she's used to being body confident. But with pregnancy, your body often changes in ways you don't expect. The problem is that most people don't talk about it, which is why Ashley's feed is so important.
However, that doesn't mean that every moment she shares will be widely accepted. And there was one, in particular, that Wendy Williams was not a fan of. It's every mom's worst nightmare — your baby has a blowout, and there are no bathrooms nearby to solve the problem.
Ashley managed to figure out a solution. She took out her travel-sized changing pad and changed her newborn right in the middle of Staples. She's probably not the first, or last, to do something like this. But it still raised a few eyebrows, especially since she made sure to get a photo taken during the process.
"Sh t just got real!" she wrote. "First diaper blow up while running errands with no restroom in sight! Thank God I remembered to put the changing mat in the diaper bag!!!" Since the world is panicking over the coronavirus, a move like this is especially risky.
Fans of Ashley were also quick to shoot her down. "No Ashley, staples has restrooms," one fan wrote. "You should not put the baby on the floor…please become more aware that not every surface is ok." Other fans felt like the photo was humiliating. It's likely something that Isaac may cringe at later in life.
"Just cus there's no restroom in sight doesn't mean you can't ask where it is," another person commented. "This is disgusting." Wendy felt like Ashley could have at least brought her baby into the car to do a change there. It would have been a little more private.
It's possible that in the moment, Ashley panicked. Her son is only 7 weeks old and likely hasn't had too many outdoor excursions. And while Isaac's face and bottom were both covered up in the photo, perhaps she thought that the photo — like many of her others — focused on relatable mom moments.
"I just wish she would have done something different," Wendy said. "This is not cool and I don't know why we have to know about it on your Instagram. This is sending a bad message. I don't want to see this in a store, and I'm a mom." Wendy felt as if she thought Ashley's post might encourage other mothers to do the same.
There were a few moms who understood where Ashley was coming from. One being Amy Schumer, who's also the mom of a new baby. She gave birth in 2019 and admits that she's already ready to have another through IVF. If it works out, she'll have her hands full.
So is mommy shaming ever the right thing to do? It depends. Obviously, the most important thing to do is to look out for the health and safety of a newborn, which means that perhaps people should criticize when it comes to sanitary practices. Still, this is bound to create some drama between Wendy and Ashley from here on out. Wendy shouldn't have called it out the way she did.
Being a social media veteran, Ashley should know that while it's amazing to share the motherhood journey online, there might be some moments that are better kept private. There is no doubt that the picture made people uncomfortable. Also, when posting something involving a child, you need to think about it from all angles.
But the main thing here is, motherhood isn't easy. Sometimes, you have to do what you have to do, even if it's mortifying. But maybe you don't always want to photograph it and share it with millions of people. Especially when you'll probably remember this incident for years to come, even without a picture being taken.
