Awesome: Photographer Mom-Of-2, Julie Worthy Captures The Beauty Of Postpartum Bodies Through Photography
While some people were unjustly body-shaming a new mom some days ago as reported here, another mom has come out to boldly show the beauty of postpartum body.
Photographer Julie Worthy of Petite Chérie Photography is using her photography to celebrate postpartum bodies and to show how beautiful new-mom’s bodies are after giving birth to their babies.
Julie’s most recent photo series features strong, beautiful postpartum moms, complete with their stretch marks and scars.
Speaking of how she came up with the idea for the photo series, Julie- mom-of-2, who lives in Augusta, Georgia; with her husband (they had both served in the military) said it was from some of the other family portrait works she’s done as a photographer.
Like most mothers, Julie says she feels so pressured by today’s society’s demand on a new mom to return to norm. She recounts how she tried to suck in her tummy, and put on jeans a week after a C-section for her own newborn photos so that everyone could see how great she looked.
READ ALSO: New Mom Shares Her Postpartum Photo to Show the Reality of Childbirth
“I spend a lot of time creating family portraits that show waist up shots of a happy, smiling mom. I tuck in their bumps, buff out the blemishes, and present to the world this perfect portrait of a new mother. Reality, however, is so much more raw.
New moms have scars, stretch marks, and leftover baby weight, and it’s so important to me that my clients (and all new mothers) know that their imperfections are every bit as beautiful as their perfect portrait, and more.
I feel like all mothers, myself included, feel so pressured by today’s society to return to norm. I remember trying to suck in my tummy and put on jeans a week after a C-section for our own newborn photos so that everyone could see how great I looked.
You hear so much about post-baby workouts, fitting into those old jeans, how breastfeeding burns calories. I feel like it really creates a stigma that your body ‘goes back to normal,’ when the reality for most of us is much different,” said Julie.
READ ALSO: Tv Star, Tia Mowry Has An Advice For Every Mum In New Postpartum Post
Julie says she hopes to convey through this series that having a baby often permanently alters your body and that’s perfectly okay. She adds:
READ ALSO: Mom-of-4 Shares Her Nude Postpartum Photo & Preaches Body Confidence
”Pregnancy and childbirth are the most amazing, scary, wonderful, life-altering moments of any woman’s life and most of us come out different on the other side, both mentally and physically.
Your postpartum body is beautiful; it is a reminder of the changes you went through to give life to another person. It should be celebrated, not hidden.”
READ ALSO: 7 Simple Remedies For Your Stretch Marks
As it says on her website,
“These photos are real, they are raw, and they are powerful just like you! Every mark, pound, and wrinkle are a result of growing and nurturing those sweet babies you hold in your arms.
Be proud and embrace who you are. We come in all shapes and sizes. We have different ethnicities, upbringings, and beliefs but one thing remains true: we love our babies. Now it’s time to love ourselves!.”
