How much is too much? Where is the line between sharing a fitness success story and showing way more skin that is appropriate? What choices should a woman make as far as showing off her good looks, once she has become a mother? Is being a woman with a gorgeous body unacceptable once she’s a mother? And, is a body the antithesis of the image of a successful businesswoman? All of these are questions that have been provoked by a recent Instagram post from Tammy Hebrow.
Tammy Hembrow is a self-made business entrepreneur whose work has made her a millionaire. Tammy has transformed herself into an ultra fit woman who rocks stunning good looks that show off her commitment to fitness in a big way. Tammy has built an empire off her hard work, and she has done all this while also being a dedicated mother. As Tammy built her business empire and made waves in the Instagram world as a major influencer, she worked hard to change herself from an ordinary everyday woman into a stunner whose rock solid abs and toned legs and arms turn heads everywhere she goes.
Yes, Tammy has worked hard for her fitness and beauty, and she’s worked hard to maintain and grow her business. Doesn’t her hard work earn her the right to show off her beautiful body, especially if that’s what her Instagram audience responds to? This is the question that fitness enthusiasts and Instagram followers are arguing about right now, and there really isn’t a clear answer to these questions.
Whenever women are penalized for showing off their bodies, a major backlash is sure to follow. One way to examine all these questions, though, is by turning them around and asking whether a fit male entrepreneur would face a backlash by posting the same kinds of photos. One thing is for sure, a fit male model who posts photos of himself on Instagram surely wouldn’t face a backlash just because he is a father. The issue of whether or not a man is a father never comes into the equation of whether or not it is “okay” for him to be good-looking. For women, however, motherhood is often equated with the loss of looks and desirability.
Women are “allowed” to be desirable when they are “available” to men, before they are married mothers. Once they are no longer available to single men, they are considered less desirable. All of this is surely part of why a photo of a stunningly beautiful and fit mother like Tammy Hebrow seems to bring up such strong feelings in so many people. Her identity as a gorgeous woman who is also a mother just doesn’t fit in with some people’s notions of what is right and what is “allowed.” As these issues continue to be part of the continuing conversation about women in business and women who are mothers, it’s worth really examining these issues and who and what is being judged when people respond with anger to the image of a good looking woman who just also happens to be a mother.
