Soon after my son was born I felt like I became invisible. One day I started wearing 1 earring. Now anyone that knows...
Posted by In all your spare time, [1] on Wednesday, May 31, 2017 [2]
Like many new moms, Anastasia Aligiannis noticed that things changed after giving birth [3] to her baby boy. She felt like she had become completely invisible [4] and to prove her point, she took out one of her earrings.
It took seven months before anyone noticed that she was only wearing one earring, despite being surrounded by family and friends. "All those social interactions, and no one ever looked me square in the face and noticed," she shared on Facebook. "It sort of cemented to me that as a very busy mom [5] of then two children under two who 'just stayed at home' or 'didn't work.' I had almost become invisible not just to society, but to my family and friends, and really maybe even to myself."
Anastasia explained that even conversations over the phone followed a similar pattern: people asking how her children and husband are but never following up with asking about her. "I guess people figured if the people it was my responsibility to care for were OK, then I must be," she wrote.
Although many new moms can relate and may even smile in recognition, Anastasia made it clear that the point of her post wasn't to be funny but instead to send a message. "If today you are feeling overwhelmed, invisible or like you don't matter, you do. You are so important and are probably the cog that keeps everything running smoothly," she wrote. "Keep up the good work, and if no one else says it to you this week, know that you are invaluable in the work you do and your sacrifices do not go unnoticed."