Woman celebrates stomach covered in stretch marks as she's 'meant to have them'
Social media can often show us curated streams of perfection that have been tweaked and manipulated - but one woman is proudly flaunting her stretch marks on her platforms to show her natural body to inspire others.
Stretch marks are "very common", according to the NHS, and they say they can happen when you're pregnant, lose or gain weight quickly, or even if you have a family member who has stretch marks.
Sarah Nicole Landry, more commonly known as The Bird's Papaya, is showing off her stretch marks to show how far she's come as a person. And although we're so used to seeing airbrushed images on our feeds, people have been praising the body-positive woman for her realness.
Sarah showed her stretch marks and women flocked to the comments to thank her for being so real (thebirdspapaya/Instagram)
Sarah reflected on the journey of her body (instagram.com/thebirdspapaya)Posting pictures of her natural stretch-marked stomach, she explained that she sees them as "marks of her own growth", rather than negatively looking at them. The mum of four said that she refuses to hate her body for its "imperfections", and instead wants to embrace them and the changes she's been through over the years.
Accompanying her latest post she wrote a heartwarming caption, explaining how she felt about her body, and all its done for her and her family. Writing on Instagram, Sarah said: "Yesterday I had to pull some images for a future project and I found myself staring at these two photos as I scrolled back in the camera roll.
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"How these little electric lines were first drawn by my skin for Maya. A few more on my hip for Jemma. Strengthened and elongated for Boden. And all of them, leaving a mark and space for Lemmie. All of them, marks of my own growth, too."
But she explained that she'd not always felt this way about her body, saying "for the longest time" she saw her stretch marks as signs of "failure." "Did I not use the right creams? Was it because I was too young and my body couldn't handle it? Why didn't I see them on anyone else?", she asked.
Sarah wanted to share with her followers how her mindset has changed (@thebirdspapaya/Instagram)"And now? Now, I get to see them for what they are. Expanders. Signs of Growth. Stretching, without breaking. Really freaking normal, to be honest. Exactly how it was meant to be. Exactly how I was meant to be shaped. Even, if differently than how someone else was."
She then went on to say that she really "respects" her body, continuing: "I respect the hell out of anything that will literally shape shift to allow room for life, love and a whole lot more FOR me, made out OF me. I just respect the hell out of it. So in this life, there are going to be so many ways that each of us will be marked by life, by growth, by change. These, are some of mine."
In the comments, fans thanked her for being incredibly candid with them, and for speaking so openly about body image. One wrote: "Most days I don't mind my stretch marks at all, my apron belly, however, is a lot harder for me to love. Some days when I'm feeling down because of it, I remember your pictures and words and I get to heal just a little more. If you can look that good in a very similar body to mine, then I can too, I just have to be confident and stop trying to hide it all under loose clothes (I love it when you post pics of your outfit because of this)."
Another shared that they have "stretch marks like this", but don't have children. Someone else responded: "Our stretch marks could be twins. So thankful I found your account to learn to love them and not feel ashamed".
Meanwhile, another praised: "I truly hope to love mine one day. You're inspiring!"
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