For a moment in her life, Annie Nolan was refusing to get intimate because she felt insecure about her stretch marks.
The stylish young mother, from Melbourne, revealed her struggles with body image interfered with her relationship.
But now the outspoken blogger, also known as Uncanny Annie, has proudly shared candid pictures of what her stomach looks like after giving birth to three children.
Taking to Instagram, the wife of AFL star Liam Picken opened up about the scars on her skin – and how she now regrets feeling self-conscious about them.
Annie Nolan admitted she used to refuse to get intimate because she felt insecure about her stretch marks. But now, she has proudly shared a candid picture of what her stomach looks like
The mother wanted to show the marks on her tummy in an effort to promote body positive
‘For a period of my life, I refused intimacy because of my stretch marks,’ she said.
Adding in a hilarious remark: ‘Friends, I chose “worrying about stretchmarks over having an orgasm”. What the heck was I thinking?’
But now, Annie said she has since embraced her stretch marks.
‘I already look back and regret opportunities of happiness that I missed because I was worried about my stretch marks and the ridiculous beauty standards I felt I had to conform to. F*** that,’ she said.
‘I’m positive that when I’m laying in my death bed, thinking about life, I won’t be going, “oh gosh, I really wish I applied more of that bio oil and got laser for my stretch marks”.
‘Hell no. I’m more likely to think, “gosh making out was fun”.’
Standing in front of the camera in a sports bra, Annie explained her stomach was ‘exposing’ her ‘stretch marks all the way up to my belly button’.
The outspoken blogger is known for her hilarious yet heartfelt posts about her family and children (pictured with her twin daughters Cheska and Delphia)
The stylish mother-of-three, from Melbourne, is the wife of Western Bulldogs star Liam Picken
By sharing her story, the blogger said she wanted women to accept their stretch marks
By sharing her story, Annie said she wanted women to accept their stretch marks – and promote body positive.
‘Stretch marks are normal; virtually everyone has them regardless of body type. But most people are still hiding them so we don’t realise how common they are,’ she said.
‘Your body stretching isn’t just normal, it’s absolutely incredible. It’s your largest organ doing its thing and accommodating your guts, growing bones, babies and the yummy food inside of you. It’s your body showing lines of life being lived.
‘Solidarity to all those still fighting the self love battle. As the quote goes, “in a society that profits off your self doubt, liking yourself is a rebellious act”.
‘So let’s be rebels.’