Finally: The C-Section Shelf Gets Some Real Representation c/o Lo Bosworth

I gave birth to my twins over seven years ago, and guess what? My C-section flap? She's stuck around.

We live in a world that glorifies the snap back. That tells us that "oh my god, you don't look like you've ever had a baby!" is the highest compliment. That getting your exact post-baby body back is the ultimate goal.

But enough of that. Giving birth, however you do it, changes your body, sometimes forever. And it's time to normalize that.

Shout out to Lo Bosworth (yes, Laguna Beach's Lo Bosworth!) for doing just that. Bosworth, who has been incredibly candid about new motherhood in so many ways, recently shared a social media clip about her own postpartum body. At five-and-a-half months postpartum, she posts that her shelf still hangs over her C-section scar "and that's completely normal," she writes.

She's right: This is normal. Sometimes called the "C-section apron", there's evidence that this a common thing mothers experience after C-section deliveries thanks to redundant skin and tissue that hangs around that area. While this is often dismissed as a cosmetic concern, it can cause skin irritation, discomfort, and psychological distress.

One commenter puts it best: "Thank you so much! I’m almost 7 months post partum (unplanned c section) and I expected to be back to my old stomach by now. I truly had no idea. It’s so important that we see content like this. Feels so nice to know that this is completely normal!"

I agree: As millennial women, we grew up seeing airbrushed images of women. We rarely got to see the full range of what women's bodies look like up close, and I love that this beautiful mama is showing some representation for the C-section flap (because this hardly gets any attention!).

Listen, I'm not perfect here either: I go out of my way to hide my lower belly away because truth be told, I'm still really self-conscious about this area. Maybe that makes me part of the problem. Posts like this one, though? They inspire me to embrace it.