It can be hard to accept the changes that having a baby makes to your body, especially when you're surrounded by photos of celebrities and other Instagram moms whose bodies seemingly instantly bouncing back after giving birth. New mom Sandie, aka @thefitnessfootfiend on Instagram, got real about the importance of accepting her postpartum body for what it is in a recent side-by-side image.
In the left image, Sandie hides her postpartum "pooch," and in the right, she shows it off loud and proud. But she labels both images as "reality."
"After my workout I wanted to post the left pic," she wrote in the caption. "I'm happy, confident and, strong. But the right pic, I'm no less happier than the left, no less confident than the left, and no less stronger than the left."
"The reality is, in both pics, I'm 15 weeks postpartum, and I still pooch, but it's something I'm not ashamed of," she continued.
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We're all familiar with those "good angles." Social media, and really all media, makes it easy for people to only show off their "left image" selves.
But that's only half the reality. "You may not know what is real or not, so try not to compare yourself to others," she continued.
Sandie's message resonated with her followers, who agreed how it's not easy to always be "real" on social media.
"Be proud of your body, the good, and the not-so-flattering angles," Sandie wrote. It's an important reminder for any folks who are tired of seeing their feeds flooded with only flattering Instagram photos.
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