parents

"I advocate nakedness around children, homes and husbands."

Yesterday was International Women’s Day.

A day for celebrating and recognising the strong, intelligent and influential women in our lives.

For blogger Constance Hall, it was an opportunity to think about the system of value we place on women’s bodies, and the expectations we instill in our children. Even without meaning to.

“I advocate nakedness around your children, homes and husbands,” she posted on her Facebook. Hall wants to send a powerful message to her children.

“I don’t want my boys expectations of women to resemble those that they see in magazines or TV nor do I want my girls expectations of themselves to,” she wrote.

The 32-year-old mother of three is always frank about her family and her body, and says she wants to encourage her followers, who she calls Queens, to change the way they perceive and project an ideal body image.

“I believe that with the help of Queens loving themselves the next generations definition of beauty will be radically different,” she posted. “And no longer will we idolise the unrealistic airbrushed idea of perfection that causes so much self doubt and depression.”

On a day celebrating women, Hall reminded her followers that we come in all shapes, sizes and states of undress.

“If you have stretch marks, a hairy minge, saggy boobs, a flat bum, smile lines, a wobbly belly, cellulite, a tiny chest, or any other REAL women women traits,” she wrote, “the world needs to be flooded with your image.”

(Image via Facebook/Constance Hall)

We live in a world were a naked selfie of someone like Kim Kardashian goes viral in seconds. Hall believes it is important the whole world, especially our children, know about diversity in bodies.

ADVERTISEMENT

“THE WORLD IS DESPERATE FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL IMAGE,” she posted. 

We all have powerful and influential women in our lives. Here are just some of the women we admire (post continues after video):

Other parents were quick to respond to Hall’s post, sharing their own experiences of conquering body-image issues with their children.

“I was trying on dresses last week with my 2 year old son sitting in the change room with me, feeling so gross with my stretch marks and big wobbly belly in my undies and bras,” one commenter responded.

“He looks up at me and said, ‘mummy your so beautiful’ it melted my heart and made me realize I need to stop being so uncomfortable with my body.”

(Image via Facebook/Constance Hall)

“My body grew my child and my breast kept him alive,” wrote another mum, sharing an image her her breastfeeding her son.

Of course, there were nay-sayers, who suggested Hall could learn a thing or two about modesty. But their negativity was roundly rejected.  “I have banned the fuck wits,” wrote Hall.  Take [comfort] in that and go back to being fabulous.”

00:00 / ???