to get annoyed by the media's portrayal of "UGLY" stretch marks

[nowit]

I keep seeing more and more TV and magazine ads that call stretch marks ugly. I'm not arguing that stretch marks are wonderful, fabulous, blah blah blah, but for some of us ladies they are inevitable no matter what lotions and potions we use because of genes, skin type whatever!

My stretch marks are right up to my rib cage so no more bikini's for me but I have excepted them as a part of me. In the end they were caused by having my lovely DC's and they are never going to disappear so I have excepted and moved on. Being confronted by "avoid UGLY stretch marks by using our product" just makes me angry

I mainly get annoyed because if I was PG for the first time and saw one of these ads then stretch marks appeared, It would fuel the feelings of "I'm ugly, horrible" etc etc

AIBU?

They're not ugly, they're just normal.

But where's the selling point in normal?

"avoid normal stretchmarks by using our product"

You're not going to buy into that are you? If you think that stretchmarks are normal you'd just ignore all these pointless products. However if you're made to believe that stretchmarks are ugly, evil and everything that is wrong with the world then you'll buy their magic anti-ugly cream by the litre.

Well you do if you give an actual fuck.

lol true. so I suppose I am annoyed that 'people' don't view stretch marks as normal because of what the media says is 'normal'

Targeting PG women is particularly low though IMO, especially the first week after giving birth when you look in the mirror and your body is soo different. That combined with the massive dip in hormones is not much fun, why do they feel the need to bully people about how they look?

Avoid looking normal - just buy our product!

It's not really going to cut it as a slogan, is it?

On the other hand, cellulite's just fat, so people without much fat in those areas are probably not going to have it.

'Avoid looking normal - just buy our product!' of course wouldn't work, but what about
'keep your skin supple and use xxx' instead of 'UGLY' there is no need

My belly resembles a map of the London underground written on a blamange I agree with you that we don't need to be told they are ugly and made to feel even worse about them. so no YANBU

i'm 24 and now like you have stretch marks up to my ribcage, its never occurred to me about them being abnormal, just that i'm one of the unlucky ones. I've bought creams but rarely remember to use them.

I think its the attitudes of family and friends that have more impact on my feelings towards my stretchmarks and luckily they are positive :-)

on the side, my husband says i should still wear bikinis if i want to, i raised this idea with my mum, who also has bad stretchmarks, and she said not to because i'll "scare the horses" lol!!!!

i'd love to be carefree and say "sod it, where's my bikini?" but I think I probably would scare the horses lol

Are zebras ugly? Are tigers ugly?

Embrace stripeyness, and brave a bikini!

Honestly, if you want to wear a bikini, do. Your mum's hangups about her body are nothing to do with you.

my DH is a bit deluded, lol, but i love it that he isn't put off by them and my tummy that now swings! not wobbles, swings!! :-D

i used to be pretty slim but didn't realise and would moan about being fat, i've found my mummy tummy really liberating as i no longer feel pressure to look a certain way.

but def will NOT be wearing bikinis

Stop watching TV/reading magazines, I don't do either really and live in blissful ignorance.

My stretch marks are awesome, they look like a tiger has clawed me down either side, kinda cool in my opinion.

I don't wear bikinis anyway because it is just more blue skin to burn!

My belly resembles a map of the London underground written on a blamange - LOL!

Mine too.

my DH calls them tiger marks in an affectionate way, when they first appeared he was the one who kept me sane about it. now i don't give a monkey's, i just wish they weren't referred to as ugly, s'all!

You know, something I find interesting is that men with stretchmarks don't seem to notice or care about them. DP has red marks all over his upper arms ... doesn't give a toss. And I have some wonderful shooting red lines across my tummy from where I gained a lot of weight, but no guy I've dated since has realized they're anything but normal.

But then I am a weirdo with scars on my face/chest and apparently these make me 'ugly' too.

DH tells me it is because when men see a naked woman they are not thinking about stretch marks/crows feet/wobbly arms etc, they are thinking "Naked woman! Naked Woman!".

He is quite a simple sort though so may not be indicative of normal people.

My DH shows little signs of registering my recently acquired marks. Before pregnancy I really had one of those natural size 8, clear skinned, mark and cellulite free bodies so I found the whole muffin top, celuulite and marks from knee to ribcage a shock and a half! I've just been in a bikini though 9 weeks post birth and had a surprisingly amount of confidence in doing so. IT's me, like it or lump it!

LittleRedDragon - DH and every boyfriend I've had have had stretchmarks but didn't seem to give a rats arse about them (or didn't even realise?)

Littlereddragon My dp is like that also, I refuse to wear a bikini and dont like my tummy anymore but he says its fine and looks great. I dont think he just says it to please me either just think I have an unhealty image in my head of perfection. But you know what at least I got my beautiful son and if I could go back in time I would do it all over again.

This annoyed me this morning with the Metro helpfully pointing out that Kelly Brook has some (very fine, hardly noticeable stretch marks - you'd have needed a mag glass to pick them up on the original ) on her boobs

I only have them on my boobs (tmi) so I can still get away with a bikini. But was amazed, because no one EVER mentioned boob stretchmarks to me, it's not in any of my pregnancy books!

check me out i'm going all Tony "education, education, education" Why don't we talk bout this more and more. Make it normal not ugly, don't want to be telling my DD in 25 years that perhaps she shouldn't wear a bikini, i want her to be proud of her bod, stretch marks n all

They are normal though, only a few lucky pregnant women dont get them, every woman I know who has had a baby has got them I wouldnt look twice if I saw a woman in a bikini with strechmarks I would just think good for her.

I wish more people would be willing to have this conversation about armpit or leg hair. Men aren't told that it's abnormal or disgusting to not shave it, so why are women?