Claire Reid
Emily Clarkson has been praised for her insightful post about postpartum bodies.
The 28-year-old recently welcomed her first child - a daughter named Arlo Rose Andrew - and says motherhood is ‘so much better than I ever could have imagined’.
However, in her most recent social media update, Emily has taken aim at the way society views women’s pregnant bodies to their postpartum ones.
Advert
In the post, which was accompanied by a video of Emily three days before giving birth and three days after, she wrote: “Our simultaneous celebration of the pregnant body and disdain for the postpartum one is a very cruel trick played on women.
“When housing our babies our bodies are miraculous, both to us and to the world around us.
“Even if you personally struggle to love your pregnant body (as is more common than a lot of people talk about), societally it is revered in a way that as soon as the baby comes out, it isn’t. And it’s WILD.
"Because pregnancy is only half the miracle and the start of the journey.”
Emily then spoke about how ‘astonishing’ birth is, branding it ‘an unparalleled physical feat that the female body is extraordinary for undertaking’ but noted that as soon as a woman gives birth it's looked upon as ‘a failure of some kind’ if new mums don’t immediately look like they did before getting pregnant.
She continued: “As if all our organs didn’t SHIMMY out the way to make space for a new HUMAN. As if we weren’t a HOME.
"As if we didn’t make eyeballs and a personality practically from SCRATCH and that a tiny person didn’t then make their way OUT OF US.
"As if we don’t continue to be a source of life for our babies. Some-bloody-how, we’re taught to believe that all of this is something to feel ashamed of.”
Pushing back against how society makes many women feel, Emily said that post-birth she was able to look at her body with the respect it deserved but admitted that as time passes it’s become more difficult to ‘maintain relentless positivity’.
“Contrary to societal expectations, weight does not just ‘fall’ off, and unsurprisingly, I continue to wear the scars of that huge ordeal,” she wrote.
“This is NOT a bad thing. It’s just a new thing. And I have to ignore every single thing diet culture taught me as I make my way through this.
"I do not allow myself to make comparisons with other women; their bodies are the best for their babies, mine is the best for mine. There’s no competition, this is who I am supposed to be.
“Of course I look different, I AM different. This is not the sort of thing you 'bounce back' from. This is a seismic shift that will alter me forever.”
Say it louder for the people at the back, Emily.
Emily’s heartfelt and impassioned post has proved to be a big hit with other mums, who were quick to heap praise on her.
One wrote: “Thank you for this - I hate f**king ‘bounce back’ attitude. Like after carrying and growing a human for nine months, we just ping back like an elastic band.”
Another said: “Wished I had someone to tell and show me this 22 years ago. But seeing it now, seeing you now, is still soothing and so beautiful. Thanks for sharing this with us.”
While a third commented: “THANKYOU FOR POSTING THIS! Finally some reality in a world full of filters, angles, lighting and fakeness!”