Aja Naomi King, a Black actress, known for her work on Shonda Rhimes’ How To Get Away With Murder and Sylvie’s Love, showed off her unedited post-childbirth body in an Instagram post last Sunday, proving that women don’t have to “snap back” after giving birth or feel ashamed about the changes experienced both during pregnancy and postpartum.
“No, this is not a pregnancy before picture. This is the after. After days of labor,” King wrote, showing off her postpartum midsection in the photo. “After experiencing what felt like my insides being ripped apart, no lie. After experiencing the unimaginable beauty of childbirth, this is what is left behind. This gorgeous body!”
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Unapologetic and raw, King continued, “So in celebration of myself and my body for “Doing the Damn Thing,” I wanted to share this photo. No make-up, no editing, no filters (and you know I love a filter!)…Just me…a woman in awe of her body and her baby!
King’s Instagram post was instantly flooded with encouraging comments from her followers, including fellow actress Rosario Dawson, who responded, “Sending so much love and blessings to you and your growing family fierce woman!”
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In a March post, King opened up about welcoming her “rainbow baby” after suffering multiple miscarriages. Speaking candidly about the impact of sharing difficult stories, the 36-year-old actress said, “I’ve been so deeply moved by the women who have openly shared their miscarriages. It brought me solace in a time that was incredibly painful to know I wasn’t alone. To understand that this experience is common, horrible but still common.”
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“I suffered two miscarriages,” she continued, “And even now, trying to capture what it felt like in words is simply absurd to me because I will never have language enough for it.”
“At first I wasn’t sure about sharing my experience because I felt like so many other people had way worse experiences than I did, but I realized that I can’t treat pain like an Olympic sport, as if it’s a competition and only those who have the worst stories win the right to talk about it. No matter the size of it in your mind, pain is pain, and loss is loss, whatever the degree. And once you are touched by it, it stays with you forever.”
