As a mother of two and one of the top models in the world, Candice Swanepoel has no time for people body shaming her on Instagram. After people commented on a series of paparazzi pH๏τos that capture her post-baby body in a ʙικιɴι, the 29-year-old took to Instagram to shut down the hostility.
“This is me 12 days after having my son. If you have something bad to say about it … check yourself,” she wrote over the pictures. “Society can be so cruel to one another … Beauty standards are sometimes impossible for woman [sic] these days, I’m not ashamed to show my post partum [sic] tummy, I am proud actually.”
Swanepoel continued to express that just because she is a model doesn’t mean she is different than any other mother.
“I carried my son for 9 months in there, I think I’ve earned the right to have a little tummy, is it because I’m a model? Well we are normal people too so Let me enjoy the beach in peace please.”
This incident highlights an unfortunate trend in society, in which mothers are shamed for their natural bodies after pregnancy.
But Swanepoel wasn’t finished just yet. In a second post, Swanepoel uploaded pictures of herself fully pregnant and wrote, “I don’t have to hide my stomach just because people have unrealistic standards of women. We create life … what can you do?”
She ended the post with a plea to fellow women, “Ladies we are all in this together be kind to each other. Xc”
Swanepoel is not the first celebrity mom to speak about her post-partum body, and she likely won’t be the last. Here’s to hoping her critics took note.