Mothercare's new campaign, which stars new mums and centres their experiences, is winning praise online. #BodyProudMums celebrates the reality and natural beauty of women's bodies post-birth – a breath of fresh air in a society that holds women to impossible beauty standards, often expecting them to regain their "pre-baby body" within a matter of weeks, regardless of the cost to their health.
The powerful and positive images were awarded a runner-up prize in Transport for London’s "Women We See" competition, commended for seeking to normalise the experience of new mothers throughout the UK and help them feel proud of their bodies – something we see far too little.
The campaign features 10 new mums, each with their own story. The point of the campaign, according to Mothercare, is to enforce that there is no one-size-fits-all model for women and to champion all mothers. "At the heart of the campaign is the belief that all mums are beautiful. After all, their bodies have just performed a miracle."
Some of the unretouched pictures have been shared on social media and there has been an overwhelming positive response.
Instagram user leannep30 wrote: "This is a perfect representation of a post partum body and it is beautiful...it has just done the most amazing thing."
My.littletribe wrote: "Love this campaign 4 weeks pp and so nice to see women who look like me rather than a barrage of images I'll never be able to achieve xx."
Michelle.bevon left this message: "I love this positive message to send to new mums. I’m heavier now than before I was pregnant with stretch marks. That came as a shock to me after my baby was born and there was loads of pressure to be back in my old clothes etc. Media portrayal of bouncing back so quickly is really not helpful as not everyone does."
The woman behind the campaign imagery is photographer Sophie Mayanne, who made a promise back in 2017 never to digitally manipulate skin in her work. Mayanne commented on the campaign shots, saying: "The images depict the raw and incredibly emotional experience of childbirth. The aim is for mums of all shapes and sizes to be able to identify with these photos in one way or another, and to feel more confident with their imperfections."
Click through to see a selection of the campaign shots...
Nardy, 20 weeks after giving birth
"Being a mum of six is a blessing and knowing how my body has changed in the last 7 years is really amazing in so many different ways. Hard work to grow a tiny human, and then going back to normal full time function deserves a celebration, and gratitude towards my body. So when I heard about the campaign I felt inspired to be a part of it, regardless! I don’t measure up to what society tells me should be the ideal. I feel people need to put less pressure on mums to go back to their previous bodies before the babies and worry about their overall health mentally, emotionally and physically, to live a fulfilling life in order to give love and care for the new life.
I’m happy with my body, and only have an umbilical hernia that needs to be repaired due to my twin pregnancy, but other than that maybe I need to exercise when I get more time, as I need more energy to look after my six children. I don’t feel different after giving birth – I feel the same and feel happier even though I gained lots of weight afterwards. It’s rewarding to be able to produce fruits and look after them!"
Eleanor, 14 weeks after giving birth
"The inspiration behind being part of this project is to show those around me that stretch marks and weight gain don’t define us, that we should embrace our strength and beauty. I am a young mother with many influential people around me, and together we can see the beauty of motherhood.I have always loved my body no matter what, and my friends would look up to me for that. Pre-pregnancy, I had nice curves and my skin was smooth. During pregnancy my body changed dramatically, not just in weight but also my breasts and skin, in the ways that aren’t considered to be beautiful.
I’ve seen people on social media bounce back significantly and speedily to their pre-pregnancy weight, so of course I feel the pressure to do so too. I have found it difficult to see my body in the same way, but as the days go by, I am a few steps closer. I didn’t expect my body to change as much as it did, but I would most definitely do it all over again."
Tina, 27 weeks after giving birth
"I am not a fan of my new body. Before birth I was muscular and worked out a lot. Now I don’t have time to work out and everything feels saggier! I didn’t expect to feel suddenly so old and droopy! I know it will come back with time and dedication to exercise again, but right now all I want to do is cover up with baggy clothes.
Every day I feel pressure to bounce back. Society, social media, people’s comments all make you feel that way. All over social media it shows these perfect bodies saying they’ve had children and now bounced back so quickly. I myself remember being really surprised when Kate Middleton came out of the hospital holding Prince George. She had the baby bump, and I remember being surprised that your belly doesn’t just go down after giving birth. I also thought how stupid I was to have ever thought it would. I guess pre children you just have unrealistic expectations. I also put pressure on myself to try and get my body back, but as I slowly transition into motherhood I am realising that it’s actually not that important, and I just need to be OK in my own skin rather than worrying about what everyone else thinks."
Tesha, 26 weeks after giving birth
"I feel ok about my body, but I would be lying if I said I was 100% happy about the way it looks right now but that's more due to fitness than anything else. During pregnancy I adored my changing body, I loved my bump but did worry about how it would all change once I gave birth. Once I did give birth, I felt like my old body had died, my confidence was on the floor. I had endured my first operation of my life in order for my child to be born so I was scarred, my stomach was lined with angry looking stretch marks and my belly felt and looked like a popped balloon. I was devastated and didn't think I would feel that way at all. It took several months for me to even let my partner see me naked, I can't believe I felt so ashamed. Now, I’m learning that this is the new me. My stretch marks are going nowhere and nor is my scar, they are reminders that without them I wouldn't have my son. I can always lose the excess weight, but for now I'm too busy enjoying my boy."
Kesia, 17 weeks after giving birth
"I always knew my body would be different after giving birth, however, I didn’t expect my mind to take so long to get used to seeing myself. I was never 'skinny' but I put on more weight than I thought I would.
A lot of friends had babies close to me and they post online about their bodies, and I do feel upset sometimes that I haven’t bounced back in the same way they have. I know every woman is different and I am not as hard on myself anymore. I wanted to take part to show people that it is normal to look like this after having a baby. I want to show the baby is more important than the marks!"
Sabra, 10 weeks after giving birth
“Having been a small size ALL MY LIFE with a flat belly and slim legs and arms, I did feel under pressure to ‘bounce-back’ to my pre-birth body. Some people laughed at my new body and I felt insecure. I did feel embarrassed and I tried to hide my body. My back and down there still feels sore from time to time, my breasts look bigger and I have stretch marks on my thighs and stomach. I never expected to feel this way.
You never understand the changes your body goes through during and after pregnancy until you embark on this journey yourself. At first the changes are scary. Then I realised that the changes are normal. My body doesn’t have to ‘bounce-back’ to my pre-birth body as long as I’m healthy. I realised my stretch marks are a sign of beauty and I learnt to accept myself. I am happy with the changes. And I am happy to share my scars with the rest of the world to show them that they are normal and beautiful. Flaunt that body with a smile and confidence!”
Harriet, 26 weeks after giving birth
“I loved the idea of celebrating post-partum bodies. I have always struggled internally with my weight and how I feel about myself. I put on 4 ½ stone in pregnancy and have lost about 2 ½ so far. How can I hate my body when it has given me my beautiful baby boy? My body has done something amazing, and to me that’s the most empowering thing.
I feel like I’m doing this for all the mums who wear baggy tops or cry when they look in the mirror. To say: you are amazing!
I just say to people it took me 9 months to make him – he’s my priority. It will come off, it just takes time. It’s the people who don’t have children who judge the most. Other mums support each other and tell them they are awesome!”
Louise, 29 weeks after giving birth
“I wanted to do this partly for my own self-confidence, to help with acceptance of my scars and new life. Also, I wanted to bring some attention to post-natal disease and complications. Giving birth caused me to go into sudden liver failure, due to a rare pregnancy related disease. I had to have an emergency liver transplant and spent the first month of my daughter’s life in hospital in London away from her. My shape has changed since giving birth, my scar causes my stomach to be a little disfigured and I lost most of my muscles from being in the hospital bed so long. Sometimes my scar reminds me of the surgery and the difficult recovery I had in my daughter’s early months. However, it’s also a wonderful reminder of how generous other people can be, because without someone’s decision to donate organs I would not have survived to be here with my family now.”
Sophia, 39 weeks after giving birth
“Before giving birth I was very preoccupied with my figure I worked out a lot and I had very high expectations of myself. Throughout my pregnancy I was shocked at how much changed and it was hard to accept the changes. I had a healthy pregnancy, but it was hard. My belly was full term size at 6 months and it kept growing. I found it really hard to walk and I constantly had people stare in shock at my size. I even had strangers make comments on the size of my tummy. Since giving birth my body image has changed, and I am proud of my body for holding 2 babies. They were born at full term and no health issues. I don’t mind having tummy wrinkles, it’s a small price to pay for these beautiful little girls.
To watch my babies grow and achieve their baby milestones inspires me to be healthy and happy and do my best for them – not what social standards tell me I should be.”
Chantelle, 11 weeks after giving birth
”I actually love my body. It has done the most amazing thing, and I acknowledge and honour what it has created for me. Any marks left are a welcome reminder of our journey.
I was very lucky and had what could be regarded as the ideal pregnancy. I have fibromyalgia, and the hormones from pregnancy made all my pain go away, which was even more amazing for me.
The best part of being a mother is seeing my baby’s happy little face each morning. I love the way he looks at me, like he knows how much I love him and he feels safe with me."
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