Moms of the world, are you having a hard time dropping those pregnancy pounds? Well, "Fit Mom" has some friendly advice for you: stop your sniffling and get skinny, slackers!
OK, that's not quite how Maria Kang phrases it, but the controversial, smokin'-hot mom is pretty no-holds-barred in her approach to getting in shape post-baby. The mother of three has posted photos of herself looking Sarah Connor-fit and toned, with admonishments to other moms to achieve the same. Her mantra has launched a movement of "No Excuse" clubs and workout sessions, while naturally dividing opinions: some have rallied by her side as a champion of good health, while others have denounced her as a fat-shaming bully.
This controversy has been brewing for a while now, but recently came to a head when Kang met her "adversaries" to talk out the issue on a pretty damn fascinating "Nightline" segment. The new clip explores the myriad pressures that plague mothers, from balancing work, childcare and looking thin post-baby to being a "good" parent who always puts her kids first. It also examines how important it is for women to value their own time and needs among other competing—and often overwhelming—obligations.
While these are salient issues that should be thrust into a national discourse, this heated debate is surfacing an additional problem with the entire discussion. The very idea of polarized female "adversaries" feeds a dangerous myth that there are—essentially—only two types of women: the annoyingly weight-obsessed (Fit Mom) and fat, lazy opponents to good health (those who challenge Fit Mom).
Most mothers, of course, are neither. Many women want to feel healthy and fit post-baby (duh), but it's a struggle to shed pounds in the face of sleep deprivation, mounting responsibilities and limited time. It's also worth noting that women lose weight differently based on their pregnancies, body types, metabolism and a host of other factors.
With her toned physique and suspiciously solid work-life balance, Kang embodies a motherhood ideal. With their inability to get in shape, her "adversaries" embody a motherhood fear: listen up mama, you can say, "goodbye sexiness and hello to mini-vans, screaming babies, sagging breasts, a stretch-marked tummy and a ho-hum sex life!"
Both these visions of Motherhood are dangerously oversimplified and thus, become riddled with anxiety. Don't moms have enough to worry about?
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