For decades women have been criticised for the way their bodies look after giving birth, but Alexandra Nation never expected to be shamed for looking slim after having a baby.
The former Bachelor star welcomed her second child – her first with fiancé Carson Jory – Maxwell six months ago and has been proud of her body throughout her postpartum journey.
But the 30-year-old mum wasn’t going to stay silent when she started receiving cruel comments on social media claiming her body isn’t “real” enough.
Alex Nation wasn’t going to stay silent when she started receiving cruel comments about her postpartum body.
(Image: Instagram)“The amount of negative/nasty comments and private messages that I have received about my body is disappointing,” she wrote in a lengthy statement shared to Instagram.
“I’m not mad, I’m not hurt. I’m disappointed that in 2022 women are still picking apart each others appearances. Still shaming each other for being too thin, too fat, too muscly, too curvy.”
Alex, who has a naturally slender build, appears to have been shamed for revealing her lean figure in recent photos, videos and Stories on her account.
But she was quick to remind her followers that you can never judge someone’s health – physical or mental – on their figure alone, especially after giving birth.
“I carried my son for nine months. I experienced significant change, mentally and physically,” she penned.
“I gave birth. My body is still healing. I bleed almost every day.”
The bold mum-of-two went on to detail the ongoing health issues she had dealt with since welcoming Maxwell in 2021, including pelvic floor concerns and painful sex.
She was refreshingly raw in her confessions, sharing details many mums with social media platforms would be hesitant to reveal to such a massive audience.
But Alex didn’t shy away from the realities of the postpartum period and raised an important question about how mothers are scrutinised and judged based solely on their bodies after giving birth.
“This is my body, my postpartum body. Because I look a certain way, does this mean my postpartum journey is less than? It’s not valid?” she posited.
“It breaks my heart that there is so much focus on how a person’s body looks after they have given birth rather than their mental health and general wellbeing.”
Her defiant post was met with a flood of support from friends, fans and other mums who know exactly what Alex must be experiencing right now.
“So sorry that you have to address this ❤️ there is no wrong way to have a body and how yours is packaged is perfect for YOU!” replied Australian curve model Jess King.
Alex with her son Maxwell, who was born in August 2021.
(Image: Instagram)Steph Claire Smith, who welcomed her first child in May 2021, simply commented “Amen.”
While many women are shamed for gaining weight during and after pregnancy, Alex’s post serves as a raw reminder that criticising a woman’s body is never okay, especially if she’s recently given birth.
Though slim women don’t face the same judgements as plus size women, there’s no denying that the cruel comments Alex received for being slender six months after giving birth cut just as deep – and were just as unnecessary.
Regardless of a woman’s size, her body is no one’s concern but her own, especially when it comes to motherhood and the postpartum stage.
