An Australian mom who posted before and after photos of her body is our new hero.
At first glance, Laura Mazza’s pictures look like a weight-loss comparison, but the Melbourne mom reassures they are no such thing. “It is a victory story,” she writes.
What follows is an inspiring post about how she came to accept her post-baby body.
The side-by-side photos show the mom-of-two before and after she had kids. In her post, Mazza explains that while her pre-pregnancy body was thin and admired, it wasn’t necessarily healthy, nor was she happy.
“I ate no carbs, and barely any vegetables. Just meat,” she said, explaining the photo on the left. “But I loved it because I was losing weight rapidly and the more bones that protruded the more I valued myself.”
After having kids, Mazza’s attitude towards her body completely changed. Thanks to the inevitable weight gain, stretchmarks and scars from pregnancy, the mom became ashamed of her body. Not only that, but she felt like she didn’t deserved “sexy underwear or a new wardrobe” because of it.
“I have achieved more with this body, then (sic) I have with my old body. I've lived more, I've given more, I've enjoyed more. I've made life.”
That is, until she had a game-changing realization. “I have achieved more with this body, then (sic) I have with my old body,” she wrote about the photo on the right. “I've eaten more good foods. I've lived more, I've given more, I've enjoyed more. I've made life. This body, THIS body should be celebrated and admired.”
Mazza also noted that society does not consider her current body type “pleasing to the eye.” To combat this world view, the mom ended her post on a positive note, explaining that all people and all body types should be praised.
“Healthy bodies should be celebrated,” she said. “Healthy should be what we strive for. Healthy minds, healthy journey's (sic) and however that reflects on to our bodies, we should admire it.”
Since sharing her positive message about self-love on Saturday, Mazza’s Facebook post has been liked and shared hundreds of times.
In the comments, many users added their own empowering messages to women coming to terms with their post-baby bodies, and praised the mom for her inspiring post.
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