Don't believe stretch marks can be beautiful? Spanish artist Cinta Tort Carto literally turns them into works of art, decorating the grooves with a rainbow-array of shades that serve to celebrate rather than hide the female body. She also applauds periods, body hair and vaginas via art on Insta, in case you're feeling self-conscious about any of those things, too.
Image via @zinteta
Image via @zinteta
With all the fuss around post-baby body bounce-back, this woke mama reminds us that (newsflash!) women's bodies do indeed change after making a human, and that's OK. "I've earned my stripes and am embracing them more and more every day," this mom proudly captions a shot showing off her baby girl and tiger stripes. "We give up our bodies to create our children, our bodies change and gain perfect imperfections that we should be celebrating not shaming." We're guessing Wedlake's little one will grow up with a healthy self-esteem, thanks to her tiger mom's refreshing attitude.
Image via @_abagailwedlake_
Image via @_abagailwedlake_
But moms aren't waiting until the birth of their little bundles of joy to embrace their changing bodies. "I could be sad over this or i could just say: bring on the tiger stripes baby because behind them is my babygirl," wrote this mom-to-be, who baby bumped her stretch mark insecurities to the curb.
Image via @sarahcatherine__
Image via @sarahcatherine__
Don't you just love how underwear ads show off superthin, airbrushed bodies? Yeah, neither does this mom, who decided to appropriate the #MyCalvins campaign to share her version of a more realistic look at a woman in the designer skivvies. "We all have flaws and insecurities," she wrote on a now defunct blog post about overcoming her stretch mark insecurities. "Yet, we continue [to allow] the media to take what's ours and mold it into something that's unrealistic. Your body is yours. You have to live with it, so get used to it." We think we'll stick to Instas like DeRouen's over glossy billboards for now.
Image via @_ohbrenda_
Image via @_ohbrenda_
With big booties being #bodygoals for many a gal, you would think someone would make mention of the stretch marks often necessary to accommodate a burgeoning behind. Cue 'grammers like @dimples_fam, who keep it real with unretouched belfies.
Image via @dimples_fam
Image via @dimples_fam