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An Instagram fitness star called out 'mom-shaming' on one of her bikini photos: 'Since when were mothers no longer allowed to feel sexy?'

Sia Cooper
Sia Cooper says she was "mom-shamed." Sia Cooper / Instagram

  • Fitness Instagram star Sia Cooper has called out "mom-shaming" on her Instagram account.
  • She posted a bikini photo and someone commenting saying she shouldn't show "her behind like that."
  • "You are a mother, think about what your children see ... Unfollowed," they wrote.
  • Cooper posted a new photo in the same bikini, saying there was nothing wrong with showing off her body, and she wanted her kids to grow up with body positivity and confidence.
  • Cooper told Insider that mothers face criticism and negativity every day, and she wants them to know it is okay to stand up for themselves.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
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Sia Cooper, a fitness Instagram star with over a million followers, called out the "mom-shaming" on her profile after she posted a bikini photo. She said the negativity started rolling in as soon as she put the photo up.

"To show your gains you don't have to show your behind like that," wrote one person in a comment saved by Cooper. "You are a mother, think about what your children see ... Unfollowed."

Cooper, who is a mother of two, has spoken out against body-shaming and mom-shaming comments in the past. She listed all the ways she has been accused of being a "bad mom" in a viral post she wrote a couple of years ago, from having tattoos, to working out too much, to eating canned food.

In her latest Instagram post, she wrote a long caption that defended the initial bikini photo and said mothers shouldn't be shamed for showing their figures.

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"Since when were moms supposed to hide their bodies?" she wrote. "Since when were mothers no longer allowed to feel sexy? How do you think babies even got here in the first place?"

The other day, I had posted a photo of myself in this very same bikini and was told to cover up... because I am a mother. Cue the mom-shaming. Since when were moms supposed to hide their bodies? Since when were mothers no longer allowed to feel sexy? How do you think babies even got here in the first place? She went on to say that I should think about what my kids will think of my behind someday. You know what? I want my kids to see a mother who’s body positive. I want my kids to see a mother who’s confident in her own skin. Plus, they love my butt and use it as a bongo when I’m cooking dinner or awkwardly standing in line at the grocery store. 😂 Anyone else, no? There is no rule out there that states you can’t rock a bikini just because you pushed a baby out of your vagina at some point in your life. In fact, that should make you worthy of one and so much more. I grew up with a mom who hated her body. In fact, she also made me hate mine by nitpicking it apart and pointing out every time it had looked like I had gained weight as a teenager. I fought like hell to finally love myself and it wasn’t until a few years ago that I started wearing shorts again in public. I would’ve given anything to have a body positive mama and I make sure that my kids see and feel this positivity everyday-not just with looks but with it all. Sometimes, all a mother needs is to truly FEEL herself. Let’s face it: motherhood can make us feel less than sexy. It leaves us drained, depressed, exhausted, and staring into a mirror, looking at a former shell of ourselves that we barely recognize anymore. And don’t get me started on our postpartum bodies.. it can be harder to celebrate our bodies when they’re covered with stretches marks and loose skin. So mamas, put on your bikinis. You’ve earned it. Every woman deserves to feel comfortable in her own skin without society’s judgy opinions. Let the mom-judging stop. Motherhood is already tough as it is. We are damned if we do, damned if we don’t so stay true to yourself. ✌🏽

A post shared by SIA | FITNESS WORKOUTS RECIPES (@diaryofafitmommyofficial) on Nov 6, 2019 at 11:03am PST

Cooper told Insider most of the comments on her original photo were positive. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she wanted to say something about the few negative ones.

"I wondered, would I have gotten the same comment had I not been a mother?" she said. "Society seems to expect moms to act and look a certain way and I think it's bullshit. So I clapped back with my post to support and to remind all moms that they do not have to dress like a nun just because they birthed a baby."

'Let's face it: motherhood can make us feel less than sexy'

In response to the comments about what her children would think, Cooper said she wants them to be aware of her body positivity and confidence.

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"Plus, they love my butt and use it as a bongo when I'm cooking dinner or awkwardly standing in line at the grocery store," she said in the post with a laughing emoji. "Anyone else, no?"

Cooper also talked about her strained relationship with her mother, who hated her own body, and how she wants her children to see positivity every day. Motherhood is hard enough without picking appearances apart, she said.

"Let's face it: motherhood can make us feel less than sexy," she said. "It leaves us drained, depressed, exhausted, and staring into a mirror, looking at a former shell of ourselves that we barely recognize anymore."

Every woman deserves to "feel comfortable in her own skin without society's judgy opinions," she said, and urged the "mom-judging" to stop.

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"Motherhood is tough as it is," Cooper told Insider. "It is even tougher when society is screaming at you to be what they want you to be."

It's okay to stand up for yourself

Mom-shaming can damage the confidence women have in their mothering skills and themselves as a person, Cooper said, making them wonder if they're really going their best.

She said she has struggled with depression and anxiety because of these worries, and she wants all mothers to be free to be themselves without judgment.

"I did not make [the post] to call someone out — I made it to call out the problem," she said. "Many women and mothers face this type of negative commentary everyday from strangers, families, and coworkers and I want them to know it is okay to stand up for themselves."

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The most common excuse for not exercising is “lack of time.” I remember when I first became a mom, I went from going to an actual gym 5 days a week to figuring out how I would get myself dressed and leave the house in a rush to get back to breastfeed my baby. Getting back on a fitness routine after giving birth can be so hard. This is why I create all of my workouts including my workout guide to be done straight from home for the busy girl or mother. Little by little, I started purchasing a few home gym essentials second hand: dumbbells, kettlebells, yoga mats, resistance bands, etc. If you want it badly enough, you can make it happen. I created my Strong Body Guide: 12 Week Home Workouts to help make fitness easier for you because I KNOW how it can be. I want you to know it’s possible and that your only true limit is yourself. Think outside the box, get creative, and don’t give up-especially when you’ve got little eyes on you. 💪🏽

A post shared by SIA | FITNESS WORKOUTS RECIPES (@diaryofafitmommyofficial) on Oct 22, 2019 at 9:39am PDT

Other mothers have been defending themselves against online criticism recently. Meghan Markle's best friend Jessica Mulroney said she didn't care when people commented on her Instagram photo saying she was setting unrealistic standard of beauty for other moms.

Shay Mitchell also set mom-shamers straight when they claimed she went to a party just three days after giving birth.

"It wasn't three days," she said. "Just because I posted on that day doesn't mean she was born on that day."

Read more:

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Shay Mitchell set mom-shamers straight after they criticized her for attending Drake's birthday party 'days' after the birth of her daughter

Meghan Markle's best friend Jessica Mulroney shut down Instagram users who shamed her for posting a swimsuit photo

An Instagram fitness star just called out the social media's body image problem — and urged people to unfollow anyone who is 'too perfect'

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Read the original article on INSIDER. Copyright 2019.

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