To the world it’s just a mum tum, but to them it is their world and first home 🌎 Ada has always been fascinated by my tummy. I have always spoken about my tummy with marvel and wonder to both Alf and Ada - telling them they grew in there, that it’s their first home and that they then slept on top of it which is why it’s squishy, and that it’s always their safe place for cuddles. Whilst on holiday she started properly chatting away to my tummy, so I asked Jas to film. I feel like there’s so much noise and pressure around “beach bodies” that it felt like a really beautiful moment. These are the words of affirmation we all need to hear, honestly. ❤️ It made me think about how sad it is that we get taught the complete opposite. Instead of looking at our bodies with wonder we turn to disgust. Most of us fear “ruining our bodies” and “baby weight” from the moment we find out we’re pregnant. Before we’ve even had a chance to feel the magic of what’s happening, we’re already worrying about what it will cost us. And that is so gross. That something as divine and miraculous as creating life has been tangled up with the idea of spoiling and decline. It connects to the Madonna whore complex, to the deep-rooted idea that our value is judged through the male gaze, that somehow after being “used” by pregnancy we become less desirable. Meanwhile dad bods are literally considered cool and sexy. The double standard isn’t subtle, is it. And I just think, the same body that grew a human, carried them, kept them safe, is the one society tells us to criticise. That’s the contradiction I want Ada to see clearly for what it is. I know I can’t protect her from all of it. The messaging will find her eventually and that breaks my heart a little if I’m honest. But what I can do is make sure the very first lesson she learns about bodies comes from me. And that lesson is this: tummies are magical. They can sometimes grow people and carry life. They are not something to be ashamed of, fixed, or hidden away. We are not born hating our bodies. We are taught to. So I’m just making sure she gets taught something different first. 🤍 #fyp #mumtum #bodyconfidence - @ashleyjames