The beautiful Duchess of Cambridge, with her sophisticated style and down-to-earth personality amid a royal lifestyle, is already a source of inspiration to women, but by proudly displaying her post-baby belly after giving birth to Prince George, she's inspiring women to embrace their own bodies as well, argues VOXXI.
Many media outlets, as they do for countless famous women, have already taken to criticizing Kate Middleton for not making an effort to hide her swollen stomach after giving birth. And why should she? Tabloids and bloggers have called her post-partum weight "unattractive," referring to her first public appearance outside the Lindo Wing with her husband Prince William and their new royal son in which she wore a simple blue and white polka-dot dress.
One magazine claimed the Duchess was "still looking pregnant," while "belly," "diet" and "post-baby bump" became key phrases on Google searches related to Middleton. OK! Magazine even ran a cover headline with the title "Kate's Post-Baby Weight Loss Regime" within just 24 hours of Prince George's birth, and received much backlash for their cover story that many claimed put an enormous amount of pressure on women.
"I saw this and thought it was a spoof. Don't buy these mags any more but decided will not even look at them in hairdresser or dentist in future. Women should be better than this!," author Sheila O'Flanagan wrote on Facebook in reaction to the offending article.
VOXXI argues that such heavy focus on the body of women is detrimental, spreading negative body image messages and failing to endorse that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. And being a target of near-constant media scrunity herself, Middleton is a prime example of a woman that can help influence women and how they think of themselves, no matter what the media says about them.
"The intense coverage by the media about this topic implies all women will be judged and criticized unless they meet the new standard - unattainable perfection," human behavior expert Patrick Wanis said in a recent TV interview.
As for the Duchess's post-baby bump, it's perfectly natural, as it takes most women about a week and a half for their bellies to return to their "normal" sizes and for the womb to contract back to its pre-baby size.
And many women found Kate Middleton's unashamed display of her natural post-baby belly inspiring.
Daily Mail columnist Ashley Pearson wrote: "I say bravo! If there were more women brave enough to put themselves out there in this way there would be fewer of the rest of us post-baby who feel we need to hide away like outcasts until we look presentable again."
How do you feel about the media's reaction to Kate Middleton's post-baby belly? Do you find the Duchess inspiring?
