In recent years, Sports Illustrated has made a concerted effort to expand the perception of female beauty highlighted in its annual swimsuit issue.
The publication featured its first plus-size cover girl. Halima was the first model to appear in the magazine wearing a hijab. The first openly trans model appeared in the issue in 2020.
This is the first time that the 58-year-old Swimsuit edition has had a new feature. A model is showing her scar.
In SI Swimsuit 2022, model Kelly Hughes shows her scar from the C-section she had by pulling down her bikini bottoms.
The photo feature was done in collaboration with the brand Frida Mom, which was the first brand to partner with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit under its Pay With Change advertising platform.
The partnership provides a valuable platform to disrupt the traditional narrative around women's bodies, especially those they feature who are mothers.
Hughes shared her feelings about her C-section scar in a photo she posted on her social networking site.
She wrote that she struggled with her scars being that she was a model and her recovery was difficult.
According to the World Health Organization, births by C-section are on the rise, accounting for more than 20% of all births. A third of people who give birth in the U.S. now deliver their babies via cesarean section.
Many people are left with guilt or shame after having a C-section, especially if they intended to have a vaginal delivery.
The cultural misconception of labeling C-sections as 2018-12-23 doesn't help matters.
The body shame many feel about their visible scars even years later is a topic that is discussed by a body image expert.
She told HuffPost that many women feel uncomfortable about their scars being on display and that they try to hide them.
The C-section scar in Sports Illustrated helps send a message to women who have had a baby, that their scar is nothing to be ashamed of.
A third of people who give birth in the U.S. now deliver their babies via cesarean section. Jane Khomi is pictured.
The message conveyed in the photo is just as powerful for men as it is for women. If they are familiar with the newer, more inclusive Swimsuit edition, they probably won't be surprised.
The photo shows that women's bodies are capable and special.
The magazine is good for the treatment of anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, especially during pregnancy and in the post-partum period, which is why Weinberg loves it.
She wishes the publication had pushed more.
It's a step in the right direction, but it's hard to get excited about photos that reinforce every other aspect of unachievable beauty ideals that makes most women feel.
She said that the photo doesn't change the norm of thin white cis blond women being revered for their beauty.
Will this be the new standard of how postpartum bodies should look? She asked if a woman who looks nothing like this model, aside from their C-section scars, would feel worse about her post-delivery body in comparison.
These photos are cool, but not enough.
It is always refreshing to see C-sections normalized.
I hope that these photos send a message to men that C-sections and the marks they leave are not something to be hidden, but celebrated, something as normal as freckles, she said.
The glossy photo has elicited a range of emotions for women who have had C-sections.
Some people are surprised to see their scars in the pages of Sports Illustrated. Others have noted that their scars aren't quite as subtle as Hughes'.
The photos featured in a NowThis video were so happy to see that they were sent out to her followers.
She told HuffPost that seeing that kind of representation in a magazine made her feel proud of her scar.
Kammarada said she is happy if the picture does away with the stigma associated with C-sections.
Some people think that a C-section isn't really giving birth.
The article was originally on HuffPost.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
