In the modern era of technology, and more specifically, the internet and social media, it is easy to lose yourself amidst all the clamor to appear perfect. It is especially challenging for models to be their normal ordinary selves when everyone expects them to be perfect. One model, Belle Lucia, has had an inspiring experience with social media after she posted a bikini photograph of her pregnancy.
The photograph gained so much attention due to the fact that she refused to edit it to make herself look perfect in the photo. The model has over one million followers on Instagram and the photo trended because she is veiny in the photograph, something common in pregnant women.
Having already had a nasty experience with social media trolls, it would have been easy for the model to bow to pressure and put up an edited version of the photograph. Earlier in her pregnancy, she had posted an announcement about it and she received many negative comments about it. Many people commenting on the ultrasound picture she posted said she was lying about the pregnancy. They even questioned her physique, claiming that she did not look pregnant. The many nasty messages that people posted about her ultrasound picture forced her to remove it. It is thus encouraging to see that despite her past nasty experience with social media trolls, she chose to stick to her real pregnancy picture, which shows a veiny chest. It would have been easier to edit it and avoid all the negativity. Her decision can be a good motivation and can inspire other people to try to be more authentic even on social media.
Belle Lucia’s Instagram photo has had many likes. Many people have shown great support and approval of the photo. Most believe that it was impressive that she chose not to add filters to make the photo perfect for social media. The fact that she did not even use makeup to conceal the veins has been a great inspiration to many women. Many have admired her confidence in her own body. Expressing their admiration for the natural beauty of pregnant mothers, many of her followers have shown great support to the mother. They believe she should ignore the naysayers and focus on being her authentic self. What some people perceive to be flaws is sometimes true beauty. The model, who is a trained nurse, had earlier explained how pregnant women have different bodies and would thus look different in photos. For the veiny pregnancy photo, she explained that it was normal for women, especially in their advanced stages of pregnancy, to be veiny due to the increased blood volume to support the growing baby.
It would therefore be wrong to ask pregnant mothers to hide something that is very natural and part of their life. As a model, she set a perfect example for people, especially women, not to allow pressure determine how they live their life. While there was pressure to post a “perfect” photo of her pregnant self, she chose to be authentic and post a photo of her real self with not filters. As a model, it would have been easier to perpetuate the façade of a perfect image, but she chose to be real. That should encourage more people to be more confident in themselves.
