Curvy moms pave the way

Curvy moms pave the way to an inclusive future

More often than not, a mother’s post-natal feelings lie along the lines of adapting to all the changes happening within and outside her body. Naturally, your body structure after birth changes, because the body that was housing a human being before, nurturing it, nourishing it, isn’t doing so anymore. So naturally, as well as relaxing your muscles, your body also expands a significant amount.

This is a normal and natural process, and your body needs time to get back to the shape that it was in originally, and even if it can’t, that’s fine as well. You know why? Because in the end, it’s your physique, your body, and you have a right to maintain it the way you want and think comfortable. Be it curvy, be it slim.

Some peers, oh-so-ignorantly, somehow perceive it ok to tell new mothers (and others) to stay ‘in shape’ after they’ve given birth, very insistently might I add. Without ever researching why the changes in a mother’s bodies happen and why they’re that much harder to get rid of, especially in a short period of time. Hence we need to remove and completely wipe out the notion and the deep-rooted thinking that being a curvy mother is somehow not okay.

Society and its imperfect ideals

Society has a way of forcing their views and standards of beauty on all of us, call it an extreme peer pressure if you will. Some of it is the fault of our fashion industry, some because of our media. But because of that invisible hand of pressure, we, as humans try to conform to those standards perceived by many as something normal and that which must be common, hence necessary. Wrong. Beauty standards, as well as body type preferences and liking, is completely subjective, and if you were to conform the whole society into one box shaped idea or perception of beauty, wouldn’t it be unfair to the masses?

So the main take away from all the aforementioned miniature speech is that, all body types are natural, and all body types are acceptable, granted you stay healthy and comfortable in your own skin. It’s about time we break free from this stigmatized view of body shapes and sizes and become our own person regardless of our weights and heights.

Paving the way

Thankfully, because of the ever evolving nature of the fashion industry, as well as the retail centers and media enterprises, the narrative surrounding the ‘ideal body type’ is alas changing and evolving into a more humane approach to the matter. More and more plus-sized models like Ashley Graham are now being included in the runway shows as well as clothing and ad campaigns, which might not seem like much but it’s a huge step from where we initially started. Because of this inclusivity, more and more people are now embracing their body types, and learning how to love themselves the way they are, regardless of what people may say.

This may seem easy but it was a steady and gradual process, and a struggle that every plus sized person had to endure, for example, criticism from their peers, not being able to get the kind of clothes they wanted because stores wouldn’t carry their sizes, and having to stifle yourself emotionally and physically just to fit a narrative that was flawed in the first place.

How the narratives change

Now we are finally at a point in time where all plus sized women, mothers or otherwise, don’t have to stifle their own individuality just for the sake of fitting in. They can accept and express themselves more freely because of this expansion, inclusion, and evolution in the fashion and media industry. More and more plus sized women are opening their own designer brands, their own clothing lines specific to people that don’t generally get included in the size charts. This is more than a breakthrough because this ensures a place for all the plus sized people out there; this ensures that they get the respect they deserve, regardless of their weights or heights.

This inclusion is not only privy to the fashion industry, but has also been integrated as a part of the media terrain. Now you’ll see more plus sized actresses and actors in leading roles as opposed to 10 or maybe 20 years ago. Media representation matters because the media has a big role in paving and shaping people’s minds, hence their perceptions. So we’re not too far from a non-judgmental world where all sizes and shapes will be considered beautiful, by everyone, where people’s individuality will have room to breathe.

From influencers to even normal people, all are encouraging this notion; accepting the way you are. Now you’ll see a lot of curvy mothers confidently dressing up, going out, and even getting photo shoots done just because they felt like it, and that’s the way it should be. Normalizing being a mother with a curvaceous figure. People who would normally get conscious about their weights and cease posting photos on the social media do so freely now, because they know they won’t be criticized, and why should they be? Most importantly, people who used to cut back on their diet and adopt an unhealthier lifestyle are no longer doing so, which is one of the most important changes this movement has brought about.

We owe it to those people who stood for this change; we owe it to them to live a healthier, happier lifestyle, to not worry constantly about our weight. Most of all, we owe it to those women who stood for us all, against the thrashing waves of disdain. They’re the idols that paved the way for others.

So if no one has told you today, we’re proud of you. We are proud of you for breaking through stereotypes and not confining to the standards set by a society so hell bent on molding every person into a certain shape. We are proud of you, for learning to love yourself despite all these trials and tribulations, and we are proud of you for never losing hope, for never giving up, for pushing through even when the hurdles seemed too high to jump over or when the walls enacted in front of you stood too mighty and tall. But most of all, we are proud of you, for being kind to your own self.