As a mother of three myself, I'm a huge fan of writer Rachel Hollis. She blogs and makes videos about her raising three kids, cooking, fashion, style, and so much more.
If you're not familiar with her website, The Chic Site, I suggest checking it out. It is a must-read for me, and I am so thrilled that millions more people have become familiar with it after Rachel posted a photo of herself in a bikini. The photo quickly went viral all over Facebook, but not just because she's a gorgeous woman at the beach. It was her message accompanying the photo that has really made a huge impact — especially for anyone who has experience motherhood.
I'm often reminded that Facebook can be used in truly incredible ways. For example, a British girl named Stacey Lee was able to find her birth mother through the help of Facebook. Rachel also uses her social media for positivity and inspiration.
I think Rachel's message is incredibly important for people to see, whether or not they have had children. I know I definitely felt better about myself after reading Rachel's wonderful message.
Please SHARE if you agree that we need more positive messages like this.
This is the photo that quickly went viral.
She posted the photo with this message:
I have stretch marks and I wear a bikini. I have a belly that’s permanently flabby from carrying three giant babies and I wear a bikini. My belly button is saggy… (which is something I didn’t even know was possible before!!) and I wear a bikini. I wear a bikini because I’m proud of this body and every mark on it. Those marks prove that I was blessed enough to carry my babies and that flabby tummy means I worked hard to lose what weight I could. I wear a bikini because the only man who’s opinion matters knows what I went through to look this way. That same man says he’s never seen anything sexier than my body, marks and all. They aren’t scars ladies, they’re stripes and you’ve earned them. Flaunt that body with pride! #HollisHoliday
As a mother myself, I love hearing Rachel's inspiring message about body acceptance. I'm clearly not alone in this sentiment, as thousands have responded to her statement in a positive way.
One person commented:
“You have no idea of how empowering your words are to someone as myself. I gave birth to my last baby (my third son) 6 months ago. I have many stretch marks… and my confidence has plummeted. Reading this has made me realize how im seeing everything in the wrong way… THANK YOU! I BELIEVE YOUVE GIVEN ME A CERTAIN BOOST I NEEDED TO HELP BEGIN THE PROCESS OF REGAINING MY SELF CONFIDENCE.” [sic]
In an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine, she said, "I love hearing that someone is going to wear a bikini for the first time in 20 years or that this picture changed their perspective."
There's no doubt that Rachel's bold decision has inspired thousands of others — mothers and non-mothers alike! To hear Rachel tell it in her own words, watch the video below.
After watching Rachel's video about how she "deals" with stretch marks below, please don't forget to SHARE!
