Banish the Airbrush

by Stacey Richardson

Are you fed up of the media’s obsession with “sexy post-baby bodies” and the race to shed as much baby weight as fast as possible? Tired of seeing every major magazine with a story on how celebrities stay slim and flawless, even though cosmetic surgery is commonly behind their amazing figures? You are not alone.

The Shape Of A Mother (theshapeofamother.com) is a brilliant pool of real photographs and stories from women all over the world who want to help promote what women really look like, and challenge the ‘Barbie doll’ image of women that plagues the media. Here you will find no airbrushing or slimming tricks, just real women who are proud of their bodies.

SOAM began in 2006 after mom-of-two Bonnie posted photos of her stomach to prove what a real woman’s body is supposed to look like after childbirth. There was no airbrushing or cropping to get the most pleasing shot, it was her stomach in all of its glory- stretch marks and extra skin included. Fed up with seeing surgically enhanced, airbrushed women portrayed as the norm by the media, she set out to invite mothers to submit photos of “bellies, bums, boobs or any other body part” to show that the majority of women look gorgeous as is, and what the media considers beautiful does not  reflect real life. She created the site because she sincerely feels that women need to be portrayed accurately, for the sake of her children’s self esteem as well as future generations of women to come. 

Image courtesy of TheShapeofaMother.com

Although it began as a site for mothers to embrace their child-rearing bodies, it has now to grown to include women from all stages and walks of life who want to be part of an inspiring project in acceptance. For those who have ever felt like their bodies weren’t ‘normal’ or attractive, this is a must-see. After browsing through the galleries are reading the inspirational messages that women have contributed, you really can’t help but come away from this site but feeling proud to have a real body, and knowing that the majority of women look like you. I have to say that after browsing around this site, the thought of a boob job (something that I secretly dream about often!) seemed so unnecessary after seeing how many women looked just like me.

The site really does speak for itself so have a look at the galleries and blogs and pass it around to all of the women in your life. If we as women spend more time promoting image-positive places such as The Shape Of A  Mother,  our daughters, nieces and future generations of women will have a chance to know what the female form should really look like and hopefully not have to deal with the amount of body image pressure that surrounds us today.

Tagged as: Beauty