Where are the men? Where are their scarred and battered bodies? Where is their appreciation for what these women have gone through to bare their children?
I gave birth to children. For some reason I never had a single stretch mark. I have no idea why. I could never understand what all the bitching was about. Women complaining how having children had ravaged their bodies. Now I get it.
I don't know why I didn't have a stretch mark, or why my breasts never sagged. I do know that my husband has NO CLUE what most women go through. My body doesn't show the scars. My breasts look better than most 25 year old women. My belly is flat and you'd never guess i'd had 3 children. My husband thinks this is how all women in their 60's look. If we divorce, or I die before him, he's in for the shock of a lifetime.
He wasn't around when I had my children. I was married to someone else. He thinks having babies is NO big deal. It's not fair that he gets to the age he is, and is so clueless. He's never experienced REAL physical pain. How does someone get to be so lucky? I don't think he's ever seen a woman who wears all of the scars of pregnancy.
He's never felt or been through the kind of pain that a woman goes through. I admit that I carry some resentment about that.
I am sure that most men can appreciate what their wives go through and see their women as beautiful before, during and after pregnancy, human flaws and all.
I agree, NO ONE who has not had a child knows the level of bodily commitment it takes to bear one. That is why I think the photos are SO lovely, no pumped up fake breasts, no artificially flattened tummies. These women are PROUD of their stretch marks and saggy breasts, because they got them having and feeding children. GOOD FOR THEM!! They are real women, proud of who and what they are, and what's more, able to throw the whole modesty thing in the face of tscc. BRING IT ON GIRLS!!!!
For those who never got stretch marks--I had twins. I'm almost 6 feet tall. At 6 months along, I noticed one morning after getting out of the shower that stretch marks had fanned across my lower abdomen. Not just one here and there--a fan in ONE DAY. They continued to grow up my abdomen. I used to have a FLAT abdomen. My sisters were always envious that all I had to do was skip a meal and my stomach looked like it would scrape my backbone.
Sure, I don't like it. My boyfriend doesn't seem to mind. I'm certainly not the specimen he knew in our 20s.
I went through the pregnancy. The marriage, separation, etc., were much more damaging. I'd do the pregnancy over again in a split second, no matter what happened to my body. There is worse pain than pregnancy.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2013 03:25PM by cl2.
this kind of grass-roots action undercuts the patriarchy where it hurts, it's a kind of a Boston Tea Party.
I myself doubt that the central church will direct or mandate retaliation, but as we know, individual leaders think they know better / can set the standard they individually believe to be best.
this will somewhat act to divide younger 'free thinking' women from older 'traditional' women, which is also something undesirable to MoLeaders. Too bad few LDS women will learn of this.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2013 09:58AM by guynoirprivateeye.
This made me teary-eyed. Those women are beautiful and brave!
Ten years ago the models would have been disciplined and the calendar maker/photographer would have been disfellowshipped or exed. Nowadays...I don't know. It will depend on her local leaders and family connections.