Blogger Attacked For Showing Abs 1-Week Post Birth Proves 'Fit-Shaming' Is A Thing

Sia Cooper claps back at “fit-shamers” who have a problem with her toned post-baby body

The mom behind the blog “Diary of a Fit Mommy,” took tons of flak a few months ago when she shared photos of her amazing pregnancy abs, maintained by her rigorous (but doctor-approved) fitness routine. She’s back now with incredible photos of her body, only a week after having her daughter, and the internet mom shamers are out in full swing.

After the birth of her second child, Sia Cooper pretty much went back to life as usual. For her, that meant tandem nursing her toddler son and infant daughter and having enviable abs barely a week post-birth. She took to her Instagram and Facebook pages to show followers her fantastic progress and of course, was met with a bunch of shit.

Cooper tells Scary Mommy, “I’ve been getting endless shame about bouncing back “too quickly.” People love to deem it as unhealthy and unrealistic. It’s crazy because I’m over here taking in 3,000 calories a day and breastfeeding a toddler and a newborn.”

The new mom addressed those critics in an Instagram post explaining why her body looks this way only days after giving birth. As if she owes anyone an explanation.

She writes, “While some may say I snapped back rather quickly, my body is still very soft, but I absolutely am loving my postpartum body because it grew and birthed a human being! How cool is that? Muscle memory is also an amazing thing and proof that hard work really does pay off during pregnancy-even when you’re feeling as big as a house.”

Sure, I can’t relate, as I wasn’t my most fit before, during or immediately after my pregnancies, but this makes complete sense. If you start off very fit and keep up with intense workouts throughout your pregnancy, it would stand to reason that your body will get back to “normal” sooner than it would if you were more sedentary. People might be jealous and upset about what this super fit mom looks like a week postpartum but let’s be clear here — she earned it.

When we asked Cooper what she thinks of the hurtful internet backlash she says, “I don’t typically address or fight back against the negative comments because there’s not much of a point in doing so since people will always justify reasons for their excuses while pointing a finger at someone else. While it may not be a “reality” to all, it’s surely a reality to some, like me.”

She goes on to add, “Also, sometimes I wanna ask them, ‘How in the hell am I making you feel bad about yourself?’ That’s on you, not me. Nobody can make you feel a certain way-it’s all in your perception.”

This is truly the heart of the matter. Commenters on Cooper’s social media who are so quick to lash out at her most likely have their own insecurities to deal with. While it’s totally understandable that a mom would feel envy seeing another woman’s fast “snap back” after baby, it’s no reason to insult her or question whether what she’s doing is healthy. As the mom writes in her Facebook post addressing the haters, “Ever notice the double standard when it comes to fat/fit shaming? Is it just me or does it seem like it’s terrible to “fat-shame”, but completely acceptable to “fit-shame” another?”

The fact is, no one should be shaming anyone for how they look, whether it’s to call them lazy for being overweight or selfish for finding the time to take care of their bodies, despite having kids. But what she says is absolutely true — society has slowly come to a place where it’s abhorrent to insult someone for being overweight, which it is, but we’re still not to a point where it’s equally bad to give another woman shit for looking incredible.

As Cooper so tidily sums it up, “All in all, it’s just another form of mommy shaming that should end like, yesterday.”

Amen.