TikTokers love to give their opinions about just about anything, whether people want to hear them or not. They get particularly judgmental about how other moms and dads parent their children. Sure, there can be legitimate concerns if a child is in harm’s way. But if we’re talking about something trivial like what a parent wears or how they style their hair, isn’t it best to just move along? Steph Claire Smith sure thinks so.
Smith, a pregnant mom of a 3-year-old son, posted a TikTok video of her and her son, Harvey, playing at the pool. In the video, she’s wearing a revealing bikini, and people went nuts. Some think Smith showed a bit too much skin for a playdate with her son. She thinks this is just mom-shaming, and people need to leave them alone.
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Harvey dropped his goggles in the pool.
Smith’s viral TikTok shows her standing at the edge of the pool, talking about goggles with Harvey, who is off camera. They are in the water, and he wants his mom to jump in and get them.
Smith stands with her back to her camera, and her behind is clearly on display. She’s wearing a revealing bikini, but it certainly isn’t risqué. At least, she didn’t think so. But TikTokers certainly did.
Smith is a model and fitness enthusiast.
As the co-founder of the Australian fitness app Kic, she makes it a point to take care of herself. Smith is also a model and hosts the Kic podcast with business partner Laura Henshaw. She posted the video, not thinking it would blow up the way it did. Per the New York Post, she told news.com.au she posted the video to share her life as a mom.
“Our little back-and-forth chats are one of my favourite parts of my day. I had a feeling that when he asked me to get his goggles from the bottom of the pool, that it might’ve made for a cute conversation to capture … I know I’m not the only parent who films moments like this to watch back time and time again,” she explained.
Some people noticed the 'cheeky' bikini not the sweet conversation.
Smith told news.au.com that some people thought her clip was intended to be sexy. She claims that’s not the case at all. “When I watched it back, sure, I noticed my bum was a little on show,” she admitted. But for her, it was just for fun.
The video caught plenty of hate.
Smith shared text on the video: “Just out here rescuing my son’s goggles from the bottom of the pool.”
But people questioned her motive. That includes this person who wrote, “please, we all know what the purpose of this video was for.” And this one who commented, “Why do everyone stuff the suits up their butts when they are not even thongs?”
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Plenty of others saw the good.
Most looked beyond the bikini and listened to Harvey encouraging his mom. They also congratulated her on a job well done after she rescues his goggles.
One wrote, “What a wholesome video 🥰 the good job mum melted my heart.” This person agreed, commenting, “Such a sweet moment. He was so supportive and proud.”
