Proof That Body Shaming Has Hit a New Low

You'd think that pregnancy would be a time when a woman's body was universally celebrated, but as endurance athlete Brittany Aäe pointed out, body shaming has no boundaries. A few weeks ago, Brittany called attention to the backlash both she and plus-size model Tess Holliday dealt with during their pregnancies — critics apparently felt that at 39 weeks pregnant, Brittany was too small and Tess was too big. Women, it seems, can never win.

In her caption, Brittany writes, ". . . that is the gorgeous @tessholliday looking boss on the left and me with the defined abs on the right. She is a voluptuous model and I am a sinewy mountain athlete. Both of us are shamed for our size — she for her roundness and me for my smallness. Both of us are having or had healthy pregnancies as validated by our healthcare providers. Both of us are making empowered choices about our personal health. Why does our society shame women whose bodies do not adhere to some narrow notion of false normalcy?" Tess has also shared on Instagram that people constantly insulted her by saying there was no indication that she was pregnant given how "fat" she is but that she "will continue to live unapologetically, to thrive in this body, prove the naysayers wrong and laugh at the ignorance."

We could not have said it any better, ladies. Note to the haters: both Tess and Brittany had uncomplicated births and delivered healthy babies, a testament that their bodies are working just fine.