You probably know Ali Fedotowsky from her days as The Bachelorette, but since the show, she’s gotten married (but not to Roberto, who “won” on her season), had two adorable kids, launched a successful blog and become a TV personality. One thing we love about Fedotowsky—there are many—is her relatability, which makes her seem like more of a friend than a stranger on the other side of the screen. Yesterday’s Instagram stories prove that notion, and tenfold.
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Fedotowsky got up close and personal with her followers, taking to Instagram to post a story revealing her postpartum body—filter-free. She accompanied the story with a blog post about her vulnerability and desire to share her insecurities because “it was important to do” after receiving so many comments from people on social media. “Someone will say something like “I wish I looked that good after having a baby!” And while I appreciate the positive comments, you guys are always so good to me, I keep trying to explain that I’m just good at picking out clothes that flatten my body and hide my tummy. And I’ve tried to assure many of you that I haven’t completely bounced back and that my body has changed—a lot! But as much as I say that, I feel like it’s hard to believe unless I show you guys. I want you all to see me as I really am, and to know that I’m not perfect and I struggle with my postpartum body just like many other women out there do.”
Instagram/AliFedotowsky
In her blog post, Fedotowsky writes that her biggest insecurities are her stomach and her chest. “I definitely have a pouch of belly fat that wasn’t there before I got pregnant with Riley and the skin around my stomach is extremely loose. I can grab a fistful of it with my hand and stretch it out. It’s the weirdest thing! Sometimes I wonder if it will ever go back to normal. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. Either way, I’m learning to be kinder to myself every day.”
“And I think I’m insecure about my chest right now because it’s just gotten so much bigger. As many of you know, I breastfeed Riley and needless to say, my chest is much bigger than it was before children. A lot of the clothes that I used to wear don’t look right on me anymore or tops that I used to wear that were conservative all of a sudden look risqué when I wear them because my cleavage is showing (which isn’t something I like to show). So I’ve definitely had to make some adjustments to my wardrobe as well.”
After posting her incredibly candid story, Fedotowsky received an enormous outpouring of support from her not only her loyal followers, but also many women who share similar sentiments about their bodies post-baby and are thankful for her honesty. “So why did I write this post…to share my insecurities with all of you and let you know that I’m human too!” the blogger writes. “And look, everybody is different. I bounced back pretty quickly after I gave birth to Molly. But things are different this time and I’m OK with that. I’m learning to love my body and embrace how it’s changed. I hope I get back to my pre-pregnancy shape one day, but that may never happen. And if it doesn’t, that’s OK.”
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We applaud your #bodypositivity Ali! Thank you for being real and sharing your story with us.
