If you are the mom who cringes when she sees herself in a photo, read this
If you are the mom who cringes when she sees herself in a photo, hides behind her kids or avoids being photographed altogether, a mother of two from Toronto has a message for you.
Anupa King’s message is one she learned through her own experience as a mom of 1-year-old and 3-year-old sons.
When King, 35, saw a photo of herself with her sons that was taken recently for her family's holiday cards, she said she immediately thought of criticisms of herself, particularly her smile, and how much she loved the smiles of her sons.
She said she then thought of the progress she had made as a mom of accepting herself and she embraced the photo.
“The new me is so in love with [the photo] because of that moment that was captured with my sons,” King told “Good Morning America.”
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King posted the photo on Instagram with these seven pieces of advice for other women, particularly moms.
1. For every woman unhappy with her stretch marks is another woman who wishes she had them.
2. Everyone has rolls when they bend over.
3. You should definitely have more confidence. And if you saw yourself the way others see you, you would.
4. It's okay to not love every part of your body....but you should.
5. We all have that one friend who seems to have it all together. That woman with the seemingly perfect life. Well, you might be that woman to someone else.
6. You should be a priority. Not an option, a last resort, or a backup plan.
7. And most importantly, you're a woman. That alone makes you pretty damn remarkable.
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King's post has received nearly 4,000 likes and countless comments from women thanking her for the reminder.
"I cried reading this...you are SO RIGHT [heart emoji] thank you," wrote one commenter.
"It just goes to show how many people are affected but don’t necessarily voice how they’re feeling," King said of the response to her post. "When they see other people, they realize they're not in this alone."
King has been very open with her nearly 50,000 Instagram followers about her postpartum recovery and her difficulty transitioning to motherhood after the birth of her first child, Michael.
She said it wasn't until recently, after she stopped breastfeeding her younger son Levi, that she was able to look in the mirror and "finally understand who the new me is."
"I was so hard on myself and I hated it," she said. "This body has done so much for me. It never fails me. It keeps me alive every day and has produced these two beautiful boys."
She added that she has learned about motherhood, "You have to put you first. You have to love you first."
