Lifestyle
Back in January, Sophie Attwood gave birth to her first child, a baby girl called Isla.
In addition to juggling being a first-time mother, the 27-year-old also chose to take some time for herself. What she wasn't prepared for, however, was the backlash that this would incite. Four days after Isla was born, Sophie went out to enjoy a meal with her fiancée, Daniel Lewis - much to the chagrin of her social media followers who proceeded to mum-shame her.
Speaking to the Mail Online, she said that getting out of the house helped her avoid "cabin fever", but some people were upset that she would get dressed up and put on a full face of makeup.
Sophie, who is a PR managing director, took to Instagram to share a selfie after her night out, and was promptly flooded with cruel messages from people who criticised her choice to leave the house, and to wear makeup.
"I was surprised by the negative reaction. People, including my friends, started to question why I was out of the house, wearing make-up and not spending time at home in the newborn bubble," she continued to the publication. "I received direct messages like, 'Four days and you have a full face of make-up?! Lol where do your priorities lie?' and, 'You have the rest of your life to go out and your are spending these first few precious days in a restaurant! Ridiculous!'"
She also said that her close friends started telling her they felt pressured to look as good as she did after giving birth, to which she replied that applying makeup gives her a "sense of normality", and makes her feel like she can "conquer the world".
The Staffordshire native even admitted to topping up her makeup whilst in labour to make her feel "fresher".
In a recent Instagram post, the new mother revealed why she decided to speak out about the abuse she received;
"I was worried that more people would judge me and that it would leave me even more exposed to the criticism and horrible comments I'd received regularly since having Isla. I'd seen insults focusing on everything from how I was balancing motherhood to the makeup I was wearing and even to the clothes I was dressing Isla in. What were supposed to be posts featuring a shout out of products I like, suddenly became invitations for people to comment on my baby and my ability as a mother.
That’s the internet for you, the carnivorous plant from Little Shop of Horrors. And I was frightened to feed that little beast further with a press feature too.
But then I thought about it and I realised that if I could make just one new mama realise that you can do WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANT TO - and maybe make another taste their words before spitting them out - then the piece would be worth doing.
Motherhood is hard - with mascara on or not - so let's back each other all the way and support each other instead."