The Revelation About Motherhood That Had This Mom in Tears For 2 Hours
In an emotional post to Instagram, Tess Holliday, mom to two boys and a plus-size model, shared that she reached a breaking point as a mother that is also in part due to having a career in which she's always expected to look her best. Alongside a heartbreaking photo of herself in tears, Tess aired out some of her frustrations, asked questions she wishes she had answers to, and shared a hope for society as a whole moving forward.
"This is the reality of being a mom," Tess wrote. "I've been up since 3 a.m. Every time I get Bowie to sleep and try to lay him down, he wakes up. He is teething and has no clue I have to work today — most days I can work 15 hour days, take care of both boys, put some lipstick on, and deal with it. Most days I drink my coffee and smile at every little thing he does thinking it's the best thing in the world, but not today."
Tess continued, describing what caused her to cry for nearly two hours on the morning she posted the tearful photo: she reached her limit.
"Exceeded it to be honest. My confidence has taken a blow with this birth and it wasn't until this morning I realized why. The pressure of 'looking good' for a living is too much today. When your face is breaking out from the hormones of breastfeeding and total exhaustion from lack of sleep, bags under your eyes, patchy red skin, and to top it off, no energy to work out or leave my bed.
How do you do it? How do you feel confident in your skin and feel like you aren't letting the client down by showing up exhausted and disheveled? Yes, I chose a career based on my looks and I'm the first one to say that beauty isn't what should drive you; it's certainly not what motivates me. As a working mom in an industry that's as critical as mine, where is the line? The balance? The compassion? Is any career understanding when you show up at negative 10 percent because your kids wouldn't let you sleep and you want to hide under your covers and cry? Not many."
Tess ended her post with a wish for the future that all mamas can get behind: "I hope one day that changes and society views mothers as the flawed human beings we are that are just trying to keep our sh*t together like everyone else."