Lifestyle

Two Women Fight Back Against Body Shaming With a Single Postpartum Photo Shoot

LifestylePublished Jul 15, 2016
By Caroline Olney
couple embracing lakeTrina Cary Photography

Our body insecurities can come from a million different places -- sometimes it's a sudden change that triggers them, sometimes it's comparing ourselves to others, and sometime's it's nothing at all. For one Canadian mom, it was giving birth to three kids in two years. Seems like a valid reason to us (not that there are any invalid reasons, but you get what we mean), but gross Internet people still thought it'd be fun to shame her for being "too skinny" to feel insecure. Insane, right? Right. Well, the photographer who helped the mom come to terms with her postpartum body thought so too, and she shut down the trolls in the most beautiful way possible.

Trina Cary took photos of Mel and her husband, Gabby, after Mel approached her looking for a way to feel better about her postpartum body and be a better body-confident role model for her daughters.

Since Trina is a self-love pro, she took gorgeous, sexy shots of the couple to celebrate their bodies and their family and their self-confidence. The photos are amazing, but that didn't seem to stop commenters from calling Mel everything from "too skinny to be insecure" to a slut, according to Trina.

So Trina fought back.

"There wasn't inspiration to fight back, it was just black and white," she told CafeMom. "Mel is a loving mother, wife, sister, and friend, and nobody deserves to be put down for their own personal insecurities or how they choose to overcome them and express themselves."

She's right, of course. Here's a piece of what she posted on Facebook:

This session was not about two people being vain, this was about learning to love yourself again ... This woman has dedicated her life to her husband and her children. She is fighting personal insecurities and your best comment is to trash her?! It makes me physically sick reading comments like these. Words hurt, people! I feel sorry for the authors of these comments because they are the ones who need a session like this most but will never have the courage or strength to do one. They are the ones shrouded in jealousy and insecurities and choose to reply out of spite.

The comments obviously hurt Mel a lot, which is a shame because Trina told CafeMom that it was her vulnerability that made her such a good model for this shoot in the first place. "She is raw and vulnerable and she gives you nothing but herself," Trina said. "She is not fake and that is what makes her so beautiful and perfect for this message and session. Every human, male or female, deserves to feel confident and empowered. Love yourself, flaws and all."

Just look at the gorgeous photos Trina took of Mel -- you'll see what she means.

(Then check out Trina's Facebook and Instagram and start saving for your own empowerment shoot ASAP.)

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From Behind
Trina Cary Photography

From Behind

Mel and Gabby clearly fit into each other perfectly, and we love how much this photo shows that. Such a beautiful couple!

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Side Eye
Trina Cary Photography

Side Eye

Mel told Trina that her husband never made her feel insecure about the way she looked, but that she wanted to feel the same about herself and set an example for her daughters.

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Lean Back
Trina Cary Photography

Lean Back

Mel's an artist from the Comox Valley in British Columbia, Canada, and the founder of a company called West Coast Karma. Gorgeous and talented? Not fair.

__More from CafeMom: 8 Celeb Moms Who Embraced Their Postpartum Bodies (PHOTOS)__

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Laugh It Off
Trina Cary Photography

Laugh It Off

Childbirth is hard on our bodies. Parenting is hard on our bodies. It's hard to fall in love with our new selves, but that's what Mel was after with this shoot.

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My Calvins
Trina Cary Photography

My Calvins

Mel slays motherhood in her Calvins. Obviously. And looks amazing doing it, too.

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From Above
Trina Cary Photography

From Above

Mel and Gabby were the first "intimate empowerment session" Trina shot, but they both felt so good after it was over, she plans to do more. Uhh ... can we have one, please?

More from CafeMom: 10 Moms Bare Their 'Perfectly Imperfect' Bodies to Show How Beautiful Postpartum Can Be (PHOTOS)

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Backwards
Trina Cary Photography

Backwards

Mel and Gabby have three kids: Joey, Ocea, and Indi. The twin girls were born less than a year after Joey was.

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Badge of Valor
Trina Cary Photography

Badge of Valor

We don't know who started saying stretch marks weren't desirable, but we're ready to disagree. Through Trina's lense, they're stunning. That makes us think they can be stunning when we look at them, too.

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Recognize Yourself
Trina Cary Photography

Recognize Yourself

Mel told Trina that at first, she had trouble recognizing herself in the mirror. But it's clear Gabby always saw her, and that's an incredible thing.

More from CafeMom: 14 Amazing Photos of Moms Breastfeeding Wherever & Whenever They Want

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Happy
Trina Cary Photography

Happy

If Mel wasn't feeling great about herself before, she has to be after seeing this photo. She looks so peaceful and at peace with herself -- it's beautiful.

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Cuddle Up
Trina Cary Photography

Cuddle Up

Hopefully, Mel and Gabby can get past the awful comments and go back to feeling the way they were here -- Trina obviously worked her magic with the camera, and we hope it works again with her Facebook post.

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