Being a woman is hard. We live under constant scrutiny and are often chasing some made-up wonderful life that includes a perfect body. Living under the societal microscope is difficult enough without having the added pressure of the people we love scrutinizing our bodies.
As moms, we must instill body positivity in our daughters from a young age. And it begs the question: If we see another woman criticizing her daughter's body, is it appropriate to step in?
Maggie Murph, who posts on social media as @Like.murphy.without.the.y, recently confronted a woman in a clothing store dressing room for talking down to her daughter about her body. She posted about the interaction on TikTok and Instagram, and many women cheered her on.
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Murph overheard the conversation, and it bugged her.
She explains in her video that she overheard a mother and a daughter who appeared to be in her 20s talking about the daughter’s body. She's apparently undergone some physical changes because of increased activity at the gym, and her mom didn't like it. She evidently prefers her daughter to be thin with long hair. The daughter replies to the mom that she is still thin, just more fit.
Murph was disgusted. "And I was so appalled. I felt like it warranted interjection. Mothers of the world: be proud of your daughters when they are lifting weights and getting stronger, and their muscles are getting bigger. Or you could just go suck a very thin d—," Murph declared.
The woman apparently denied saying anything.
Murph explained in a follow-up on Instagram that the woman was with two girls, one of whom appeared to be about 12. After she left the store, she couldn't stop thinking about what she heard. She told herself that if she saw the women again while she was shopping, she would say something. And she did.
She confronted the woman at a store later that day, but the mom claimed she didn't say anything of the sort to her daughter. Murph said they both had ruffled feathers after the interaction but went their separate ways.
Murph was sure she had the right woman, and her message stayed the same. "I'm glad that I don't have regrets about potentially in seeing something and not saying something," she said.
Women loved that Murph spoke up.
Her video has been viewed 54,000 times on TikTok alone, and women with "almond moms" were grateful.
Someone wrote, "As a daughter who had a mother like that thank you for saying something. It feels nice when a stranger sticks up for you."
"I'm 41, and my mom just told me I should try Ozempic. Our conversation was originally about me hiring a new landscaper, so I understand how she felt like bringing up my body was the perfect segue," another woman admitted.
Sadly, this happens all the time.
"I'm 45 and everytime I see my mother she always comments about my weight," someone else commented.
Some didn't like Murph's take.
There were people who thought she should have just kept moving.
"Honestly you have no idea the relationship they have. Keep in your own lane," one person wrote.
One person thought the whole thing was off.
"I will never understand why anyone thinks they need to share their opinion about another persons body. Mom or not. Just not ok," the commenter wrote.
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Some offered their own ideal clapbacks.
Not everyone would have stayed quiet, and a few suggested what they would have said.
One person wrote, "I would have just walked past her and said you look great! What gym do you go to, I'm looking for one? Bc absolutely she needed to put in her place."
And this one agreed, writing, "I wouldn't get involved in their conversation but it wouldn't hurt to tell the daughter- hey- just wanted to tell you that you look amazing! Whatever you're doing keep it up. ❤️"
