Have you walked by a Victoria’s Secret store in your mommy outfit and felt, well, a little uneasy? Furthermore, have you ever had the opportunity to breastfeed in front of the store, take the time to observe their marketing campaign, and think about motherhood?
Seems like too much for a junior mommy comforting her screaming baby while struggling to get her breast out, right?! Well, this happened to me and I would like to share my thoughts about this particular postpartum day with you. Six-weeks had gone by after my daughter’s birth and I was ready to go out into the world (or so I thought).
I went to the beauty salon, cut my hair, and headed out to the mall to buy new clothes to better represent this new wonderful stage of life I am in. I was actually really curious and excited to know my new “grown up woman” jean size! But then I came across Victoria. Her perfectly arranged abundant hair, immaculate make up, glowing eyes, tiny waist and big boobs made me think about my postpartum body and the postpartum body of so many women I know. There was something surreal about her “perfect body” that intrigued me. The postpartum mommies I know barely have time to do their hair (that’s why I cut mine), their eyes look so tired (and, believe me, there is no makeup that can hide that), their waists are pretty much the same as when they were pregnant, and their boobs, well yeah, that’s the one thing they do have in common with Victoria! I just wonder if Victoria breastfeeds.
Sitting on that bench I pondered so many things. What is “the perfect body”? Why does the media insist that it looks like Victoria’s and not like mine? Or like yours? I thought about my daughter and the world I want her to grow in. I want her to know that no matter her size, body shape, hair length, color, etc. she is beautiful and perfect because perfection is what we are! So in complicity with my husband, who has supported my every move and is equally interested in creating a better world for our baby girl, I got up from that bench and took a stand.
I bravely stood up and breastfed my baby with my new-found mommy body in front of Victoria and in front of all the people that walked by and wondered what the hell we were doing! Awkward? Yes, but I was empowered. All of a sudden, I realized that although my pregnancy glow had been replaced by dark circles under my eyes, I was still beautiful and shined with a new type of light. Yes, a life producing and life sustaining light and that made my body perfect. 🙂
What makes your body perfect? We invite you to take a picture too and share
#theperfectbody, your body, with the world!