News: Celebrating what women’s bodies really look like after giving birth

Image: JaneBeall.Com When a woman gives birth, there’s an expectation that she’ll instantly lose the weight she gained. The shorter

realbodypostbirth

Image: JaneBeall.Com

When a woman gives birth, there’s an expectation that she’ll instantly lose the weight she gained. The shorter the time it takes her to lose it, the more she will be praised for her efforts. With celeb culture reinforcing the idea that women should suddenly be skinny after having a baby, there aren’t many images out there of what a real woman’s body looks like after giving birth.

Photographer Jade Beall is on a mission to change that.

"After shooting some self-portraits with my 5-week-old son, Sequoia, accompanied by a blog about my newly-round post-birth body, I was flooded with emails by mothers wanting to share their incredible, inspiring, and sometimes painful stories with me," Beall wrote on her website.

She began to photograph these women and showcase their real post-birth bodies
– ‘A Beautiful Body Project‘ was born.

The pictures are stunning. They’re also a great reminder that women’s bodies are capable of something truly amazing – and that weight gain, stretch marks and cellulite are just proof of what our bodies can accomplish.

What do you think of Beall’s photos?

-Katharine Watts, associate web editor

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