Bodybuilder Mom Proves No One Is Immune To Pregnant Body Shaming
Bodybuilder shamed for her pregnant body after sharing bump photos
Proving that exactly no one is safe from the harsh words of jerks from the internet, a pregnant bodybuilder recently found herself on the receiving end of criticism about her physique now that she’s got a person growing inside of her. Because the internet is a terrible wasteland and literally nothing is sacred.
Kayleigh Kelley is a competitive bodybuilder currently entering the ninth month of her pregnancy. She’s chronicled her journey all along on her Instagram account, and apparently, some of her more than 8,000 followers felt the need to shame her appearance now that she’s not in competition-ready shape. She posted an open letter responding to the bullshit along with a photo of her looking gorgeous with a hand resting on her adorable baby belly.
She writes, “Since the beginning of my pregnancy I’ve struggled with what others think is OK to say to me. It started with. Your body will never be the same. You need to eat more your baby is going to malnourished. Your pregnant just eat whatever you want. Wow you’ve really grown. How’s my fat friend. Wow you’re really big you won’t make it to your due date. Should you be lifting still. Good luck getting back to pre-pregnancy.”
Gross, right? But sadly, many of these comments are familiar to most of us. For some reason, certain idiots think a pregnant woman’s body is fair game for commentary and spout off nonsense as though she’s no longer a human body deserving of respect. It’s infuriating, to say the least. But of course, women like Kelley likely get it worse than most because of the scrutiny their bodies are under, even in a non-pregnant state.
Kelley explains that the worst comment of all was, “You’re chubby, I’ve never seen you chubby, it’s funny!” She writes that this insult was the last straw, and made her cry to her husband.
She closes her post wondering why this brand of shaming is even a thing. “Since when did it become OK to say things like this to people, pregnant or not. I have never done this to anyone. And most of these are from men. Just wanted to share & remind people that even if something seems funny or a joke to you doesn’t mean it’s OK to say especially to a pregnant woman.”
Exactly. It’s never OK to make negative (or really, any) remarks about a woman’s body. And in general, a pregnant woman wants to hear precisely nothing from anyone about her size and shape. Whether she’s being told her stomach is “too small” or “too big,” none of it is welcome commentary to most moms. Anyone feeling the need to weigh in should probably just shut the hell up and offer her a cool beverage instead.
While it’s inspiring to see Kelley stand up to those cruel enough to mock her pregnant body, wouldn’t it be nice if she didn’t have anything mean to respond to in the first place? She said in her post it was mostly men making the comments. Because how dare a woman grow a child in her body and temporarily, become less of a lust object for the gross DudeBros of the world? Eye roll.
Let’s raise our sons to not be like this. We don’t need more men in the world who assume a woman’s body is there for them to ogle and criticize at will. Because no woman should be hearing this shit. Least of all, a pregnant one.
H/T Someecards
