“Hi, New Belly” | The Press

Three months after giving birth to her twins, model Ashley Graham ignited Instagram on Monday by posting photos of herself wearing only panties. “Hi, new belly. We have been through a lot. Thank you”, she wrote to accompany this series of images on which she hides neither her stretch marks nor her flabby belly.

Veronique Larocque
The Press

Within 24 hours, over 900,000 people liked Ashley Graham’s post. If the photo causes so much reaction, it is because it is quite rare for new mothers to dare to expose their bodies transformed by the arrival of their baby. “How many moms are going to go to the beach or the pool and feel like they have to hide their bellies? “, gives as an example the psychologist Lory Zephyr.

“There is pressure to find a healthy body after childbirth,” notes Charlotte Gamache, psychologist and founder of the Better Days digital platform, which aims to help all women make peace with their bodies.

Social networks are full of images of new mothers who have quickly found their flat stomach. An example ? The hashtag #postpartumbody links to far more images of women working out than stretch marks.

“The vast majority of women I followed postpartum saw bodily changes and had difficulty accepting them. It’s part of the challenges of motherhood, ”adds the psychologist.

Normalize Transforms

According to the two specialists consulted by The Pressphotos like the ones Ashley Graham showed her nearly 18 million followers help normalize the female body transformed by motherhood.

“I think we need to see these images. […] We need to deconstruct this ideal that we seek to achieve after childbirth,” says Charlotte Gamache.

Lory Zephyr points out that such images make it possible for mothers to realize that they are not alone in having stretch marks or not having regained their cardio a few months after giving birth. “It’s validating for moms,” says the co-founder of the platform Ça va Maman?

Under the publication of Ashley Graham, there are many testimonies to this effect: “The transparency you show about your body helps so many people. “Thank you for showing the reality of carrying babies in such a beautiful way. “You are so right.” I must be proud of my stretch marks. »

Tame your body

However, the road to self-acceptance is sometimes difficult. What advice would you give to a new mom complexed by her new body?

“The first thing I would say to her, especially if the birth is very recent, is: give time to time”, replies Charlotte Gamache.

She also suggests talking about it with other mothers. According to her, this can make you feel “more normal”.

“I think it’s also important to try to take the pressure off yourself,” she adds, pointing out that moms often try to wear a lot of hats at once. Sometimes too much.

“It’s healthier to focus on what the body can do and not just what it looks like,” says Lory Zephyr. Because, after all, the body of a new mother is a body that gave birth, and that is more than impressive.