Sia Cooper has had enough, y’all. The popular Instagram fitness star — and mother — has over a million followers. And she is sick to death of trolls telling her to “cover up” after she recently posted a playful bikini shot of herself.
“To show your gains you don’t have to show your behind like that, you are a mother, think about what your children see your behind in the future, unfollowed,” wrote one commenter.
Others quickly piled on: “I wonder what your kids will be flaunting in the future now that they know that it is acceptable to post their half naked butt online. Hmm! This is why people keep getting worse and worse. They show the whole world what is meant to be kept in the privacy of their own homes.”
Another complained: “This just in. Women are crazy. They always seek attention.” Niiiiiiice.
Cooper responded to the mom-shamers and misogynist trolls with a long Instagram post defending the photo.
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Cooper concluded her post with a battle cry we can all get behind: “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.”
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To which we say…HELL YES.
“The most vicious comments that I receive are usually trolls who comment negatively on my body,” Cooper tells SheKnows. “I’ve been taunted for having cellulite and for being ‘fat’ last year when I had gained some weight. I’ve also been told that I look like a ‘tranny’ or ‘manly.'”
Cooper continued, “Sometimes I feel the more positive you are about your own body, the more negative some people will be because they are either unhappy with themselves or can’t handle the positive vibes.”
But when we asked Cooper what she might say to the anonymous trolls who hammer her with negative comments, her answer both surprised and moved us.
“I would say thank you,” Cooper told us. “Although some comments hurt, I feel each one gives me the chance to become stronger and more resilient to the hate. Most trolls do not know me personally… I cannot take what they say personally either.”
Cooper attributes her own fierce commitment to body-positive messaging to an unexpected source: her “very body-negative mom,” she tells SheKnows, explaining that “[My mom] would step on the scale and talk about her weight all the time… As I starting growing into my body as a teenager, she would pick on my weight. This eventually led to low self esteem and an eating disorder.”
Fortunately, Cooper’s many fans have embraced her message of fitness and loving oneself. One follower wrote, “[The bikini photo] may have cost you a follower, but you have no idea how many women you probably empowered by having the courage to post a picture that highlights something you may be or may have been insecure about. Body positivity is such a huge thing to me especially being a girl mom. I want my daughter to know that she is always beautiful… Thank you for showing moms like me that it is possible to take care of yourself and be a mom….”
Another fan wrote, “As a mom, I follow the shit out of you! You inspire me so much. And you know something, my kids have noticed how much more body positive I am since I’ve started getting my gains! You can’t make that woman happy and that’s ok — she ain’t for your page then. But don’t ever forget, you do help so many others!”
Like Sia, we’re so over the mom-shaming, it’s not even funny. We were hoping it was a fleeting, nasty trend, like the time Kourtney Kardashian was also mom-bikini-shamed. But somehow, it shows no sign of going away. We’re not going to quit calling it out, because if there’s anything we hate, it’s women tearing other women down. Cheers to Cooper for her wise, empowering, and body-positive words. We’re here for her — and her bikini.
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