It's mind-boggling how many people do not understand that a woman can and should be able to do as she pleases with her body. A woman's body is her own, so if you are looking to tell her what to do with it or want to judge it, keep your comments to yourself. If you need further guidance, allow this former Bachelor star to educate you. On Twitter Monday, Jade Tolbert slammed people for criticizing her bare baby bump in the best way.
"Someone informed me my bare pregnant belly is only for my husband's eyes… Um, pretty sure last time I checked, this is MY body. [fist bump emoji]," she clapped back. Jade, you tell 'em!
It’s unclear where Tolbert is receiving these comments, but apparently, people don't want to see her bare pregnant belly and believe that she should keep it covered, unless she's showing it to her husband, Bachelor in Paradise star Tanner Tolbert. Seriously? It's nobody's business what she does with her baby bump, whether that be keeping it covered or proudly putting it on display for the world to see.
If you don't want to see her naked pregnant belly, then close your eyes, unfollow her, or don't look at it. It's as simple as that. It's not on her to make other people feel more comfortable or to live up to their expectations of what a woman should do with her body. As she said it's not your body or my body or her husband's body, but it is her body to do with as she sees fit.
It's unfortunate that something as beautiful as a pregnancy can cause such a ridiculous argument. Pregnancy is something that should be celebrated, including by sharing bare bump photos on Instagram, if someone so chooses. By telling a soon-to-be mom that she should keep her body hidden only promotes negativity and furthers the body shaming of women that we continue to sadly face on a daily basis. A body, no matter the gender, shape, size, or color, shouldn't be put down in a way that makes someone feel ashamed for the way they look.
Furthermore, pregnant women already encounter so much pressure, like what their "post-baby body" should look like after they give birth. All of this has got to stop. For far too long, society has put an extreme amount of pressure on how a woman should look physically and unrealistic body standards have been formed for women of all ages.
Tolbert's response should be applauded, not only because she's standing up for herself and her body, but because she's just one more person changing the narrative in a positive way when it comes to women taking back control over their bodies.
