Mums have been inspired to celebrate their post-baby bodies by a campaign that hopes to spark a positive conversation about body image after birth.
Women who have seen the ‘Body Proud Mums’ campaign, which shows images of mums in their underwear holding their babies, have called it “utterly wonderful” and “refreshing” to see.
“My baby is three months old and when I get dressed I hate that my clothes don’t fit properly,” one woman wrote. “Thank you for this campaign. I’m a new mum, it’s ok to look like this, and these women are beautiful.”
Mothercare worked with 10 mums, each with a different story to share, and photographed them in their underwear – these images have been displayed on adverts on public transport.
Behind the campaign imagery is photographer Sophie Mayanne, who pledged in 2017 to never digitally manipulate skin in her work. “The images depict the raw and incredibly emotional experience of childbirth,” she said. “The aim is for mums of all shapes and sizes to be able to identify with these photos in one way or another, and to feel more confident with their imperfections.”
Women on social media have praised the messaging behind the campaign, and were pleased to see these realistic images being widely shared and seen by others.
Men celebrated the campaign, too.
Back in 2017, HuffPost UK ran a project called ‘MumBod’, where five women bared their post-baby bodies on camera and told us how they felt when they looked in the mirror.
“As mothers we go through a huge transformation that is positive and you just need to welcome it, embrace it and don’t let anyone put any pressure on you, you’ve got this,” mum-of-two Jenna Rutherford said.
And mum-of-two Sarah Caldwell added: “Don’t rush it, don’t feel that you need to conform, don’t feel that you need to be uncomfortable with your skin, because your body has done something really amazing.”
Watch the full video here and see the rest of the features in the series here.