As you’ve all heard by now, Serena Williams, goddess of tennis, is a new mom. But what I recently learned is that she’s being shamed for sharing a picture of herself wearing booty shorts, 14 days after giving birth.
According to this article from Bravo, other new moms are claiming her body bounce back is “unattainable” and “completely delusional.” Some implied she shouldn’t have shared that photo on social media. A New York City obstetrician and gynecologist said it “causes damage by sharing and encouraging these unrealistic goals.”
First of all, it’s obviously not delusional or unattainable because there are plenty of women who do it. No, professional athletes aren’t the only ones. No, it isn’t only because they can afford chefs and trainers.
After I had my baby in 2015, I fit in my regular clothes within a week. The only trainer I had was myself. Body bounce back is affected by a variety of things including diet and exercise before and during the pregnancy, metabolism rate, genetics, and many other things.
I’m pretty sure Williams was sharing a proud moment in her life, not trying to make any other new moms feel bad about themselves. Just because you’re a new mom doesn’t mean anyone expects you to bounce back as quickly as Serena Williams. No one is saying that.
New moms who are able to bounce back quickly shouldn’t be told not to share their experience on social media. That’s ridiculous. We are entitled to sharing our experiences on social media as much as the next mom or any other person for that matter.
Moms who drop from size six to size two in two weeks are allowed to be happy about it. We’re allowed to share our excitement. After all, we just spent the last few months of our lives waddling around with a huge belly.
Instead of telling new moms with a quick body bounce back not to post on social media, how about you just stay off it?
Postpartum depression is painfully real, and hormones are all over the place during and after pregnancy. I won’t lie, I didn’t spend a lot of time on social media after giving birth because I knew I would feel inadequate. I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold back jealousy and depression, so I simply stayed offline for awhile. And that’s coming from someone who did bounce back quickly.
Social media is full of unrealistic expectations, but being able to bounce back quickly is not one of them--at least not for all women.
Women, don't compare yourselves to each other. We all have different bodies, lifestyles, schedules, incomes and personalities--all which attribute to the way we look. Live your life as healthy as possible for you and love the skin you're in.
