'It's almost as if we don't exist': Hunter McGrady praised for powerful message of being plus size and pregnant
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Hunter McGrady's emotional message about being plus size and pregnant has struck a chord with her more than 722,000 followers on Instagram.
On Monday, the 27-year-old model shared a photo of herself and baby bump to social media where she opened up about her feelings of plus size pregnancy being underrepresented in society.
"Plus size and pregnant. Being plus size the representation already falls incredibly short, but being plus size and pregnant? Forget it," she began. "When I embarked on this journey I was excitedly googling pregnancy, plus size pregnancy, bump pictures, updates, all the things!"
ALSO SEE: Hunter McGrady and Katie Sturino speak out after their image was used for weight loss ad
McGrady, who has modelled for Sports Illustrated, admitted to followers that although she anticipated certain struggles, like finding maternity wear, she was surprised by the lack of plus size pregnancy content available for women.
"However, I never saw myself represented. I knew going into this my belly wasn’t going to be this perfect little round thing that just bops out. I knew I wouldn’t have options for maternity wear," she explained. "I knew my body would change in different ways than I have seen my whole life, and yet I don’t know if I was prepared for how much the plus size pregnancy representation lacks."
McGrady went on, pointing out that plus-size pregnant women are very rarely represented by the media, excluding them from the experience and community of pregnancy and motherhood in different ways.
"There aren’t any plus-size pregnant women on magazine covers, advertisements, television, or even the brochures at the OBGYN office. It’s almost as if we don’t exist — like we’re an anomaly," McGrady wrote. "I’m here to tell you that you are not a 'one-off' you’re not wrong for being plus size and pregnant, your body is equipped for this. "Wherever you are on your journey just remember how wildly worthy you are to experience this and enjoy every moment of it just as anyone else."
Her post was quickly met with positive and uplifting comments, including: "Seriously, it’s ridiculous. Like all sizes of women don’t experience pregnancy!?," one person wrote.
"This is such an issue bc pregnancy is already a lot and so uncomfortable you deserve cute clothes," wrote Canadian influencer and body activist Sarah Nicole Landry.
"Thank you for posting this! I'm pregnant and plus size too, and am getting frustrated with lack of clothing options," another said. "You sharing your pregnancy journey means so much to me."
"I felt all of this. People would act like I wasn’t that pregnant looking even close to the end," a separate follower wrote. "I’m like sorry guys I’m over 6’1 and don’t have a little bump."
ALSO SEE: Model Hunter McGrady says ‘being larger than your partner is OK. I certainly am!’
In early March, McGrady revealed she was expecting her first child with her husband, Brian Keys, in a statement to People.
"We are so excited and thrilled to welcome this little baby into the world," she said. "After a tumultuous 2020, this feels like the rainbow at the end of the storm."
While McGrady's message about inclusivity and representation for plus-size pregnant women was well-received, it certainly did not come as a surprise. The model has been advocating for body positivity for years.
In February 2020, McGrady hit back at trolls on Instagram with a post declaring that there is "no such thing as a wrong body."
"My body is not wrong. There is no part of it that is not me or does not belong where it is. There is no such thing as a ‘wrong’ body," she wrote. "What’s wrong is the way you see it, the beliefs you impose on it, the labels you attach to it. Your words are wrong, not my body. I was not ‘born in the wrong body.' You were given the wrong words to describe it."
