'No other caption needed': 'Bachelorette' star praised for body positive poolside selfie
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Former “Bachelorette” star Ali Fedotowsky-Manno is receiving praise after sharing a body positive bikini photo to social media.
Recently, Fedotowsky-Manno was enjoying some poolside fun with her family at home when she decided to snap a photo. The Hallmark channel host, who appeared on “The Bachelorette” in 2010, posted an unedited, makeup free selfie of herself to Instagram, in which she’s seen sitting on the edge of her pool wearing a two-piece swim suit.
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“Felt strong and beautiful in this moment and wanted to document it,” the 35-year-old blogger wrote. “No other caption needed” and included several body positive hashtags.
Fedotowsky-Manno, who has two children, three-year-old daughter Molly and one-year-old son Riley, received thousands of comments from women thanking her for sharing a positive message of self-love.
A post shared by Ali Manno (Fedotowsky) (@alifedotowsky) on May 1, 2020 at 9:46am PDT
“As a first time mommy I’ve been struggling with myself and just having a hard time loving my postpartum body, especially because of what I’m always seeing on Instagram,” one follower wrote. “Just know you make a difference in my life, thank you!”
“Five kids later, I appreciate this more than you know!” a separate comment read. “I get very bogged down emotionally with a lot of photos on social media and I love seeing this gorgeous post not only in physical beauty but the confidence and security.”
Although thankful for Fedotwosky-Manno’s post, another follower noted when women share photos of themselves and their bodies that don’t meet the stereotypical criteria for a “bikini body” they’re often considered a courageous or “brave.”
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“I hate how this world makes this [seem] ‘brave’....but here we are. So, thank you for sharing this!” the woman commented. “This is normal. Thanks for helping me along my way to body confidence. You are beautiful!”
A post shared by Ali Manno (Fedotowsky) (@alifedotowsky) on Apr 26, 2020 at 2:32pm PDT
The comment prompted a response from Fedotowsky-Manno, who recommended body positive accounts like The Birds Papaya by Canadian influencer Sarah Landry and Jenna Kutcher as helpful resources to follow.
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“I totally hear what you’re saying,” she replied. “I guess it’s ‘brave’ because we live in a society that makes us feel ashamed to post things like this. But that’s definitely changing with so many amazing people on social media and elsewhere!”
A post shared by Ali Manno (Fedotowsky) (@alifedotowsky) on Jan 1, 2020 at 2:14pm PST
Fedotowsky-Manno has been public about her struggle to regain body confidence and her journey towards embracing the loose skin on her stomach after giving birth to her children.
“I earned this loose skin. I gave everything my body has to offer to bring two beautiful humans into this world! That’s not something I should feel ashamed of, that something I should feel empowered by!” she wrote to her followers in 2019. “So every time I look at my tummy I remind myself to feel strength, power, and sacrifice. And in the end, I’m left with the greatest gift - two beautiful children and the family I’ve always dreamed of.”
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