Mum gets trolled over bloated belly photo – her response is epic

Melbourne-based mum-of-two Zoe George isn’t afraid to talk candidly about parenting.

Her popular blog – The Subtle Mummy – sees her tackling all kinds of taboo subjects that come with motherhood and being a wife and a mum of two little ones under the age of two. 

Not only that, but Zoe has been nominated for the 2018 AusMumpreneur Influencer Award.

So when Zoe posted a photo of her bloated belly to her Instagram stories, only to receive a cutting remark back – she decided to take a stand.

‘I posted this picture in my stories today complaining about my bloating,’ Zoe, who had recently undergone gall bladder surgery, wrote.

‘I had such an overwhelming amount of well wishes sent to me when I went in to hospital (on Mother’s Day).

‘I tried to run a few errands yesterday which resulted in me being bed ridden again but today I didn’t move from my room.

‘So funny thing happened.... Someone was obviously trying to send my story to a friend and bag me but they accidentally sent it to me. It said “how gross is this”.

‘This person (whether they meant to say it to my face or not) is the reason others feel such pressure to only post beautifully curated images to their feeds.

‘People like this are the reason that pics like this aren’t “normal”.

So what does one who is as subtle as a brick in the face do? She posts it.

‘Seriously big deal. My wounds will heal, my bloating will go down but your ugliness is on the inside and that’s a lot harder to get rid of.’

Now, Zoe, has been inspired to team up with fellow bloggers to create the #dollsnottrolls movement – with the aim of stamping out judgement, jealousy and rivalry amongst women.

‘We knew that by joining together, we could reach and support so many more women and as other women heard what we were doing, they contacted us to offer their support and we knew that it was worthwhile,’ Zoe says.

‘Competition is healthy but when it becomes destructive and knocks other women, it can have serious consequences. We are very excited to be getting together to show women that lifting each other up and working together can be the best medicine.’

Vote for Zoe to receive the AusMumpreneur Influencer Award 2018 here

 This story first appeared on New Idea