Stretch mark city
Stretch marks are everywhere. Literally. They adorn the bodies of up to 90% of women.
Which is a staggeringly high amount of us.
But despite being so common, they remain a source of shame and embarrassment for many.
With brands, celebrities and real women challenging the stigma, showcasing their natural bodies untouched and in their real forms, is it time to just admit our skin, naturally, stretches? What’s so ugly about the truth?
Is it time to just admit our skin, naturally, stretches?
Let’s be real
Stretch marks develop when our skin stretches and then shrinks quickly, causing underlying collagen and elastin to tear. Even once the skin heals, the scars can remain, leaving the marks as a souvenier. These hereditary marks are the most common connective tissue change experienced in pregnancy, thanks to fluctuating pregnancy hormones; relaxin, estrogen and cortisol. The marks can fade over time, but honestly, it’s unlikely they’ll ever truly disappear.
Prepping your skin for change
A good quality diet can help to boost skin health and promote stretchy skin.
- Water is key here, as hydration increases our skin’s natural elasticity.
- Collagen, the popular protein, is essential for skin building, strength and elasticity.
- Vitamin’s A, C, D + zinc increase our collagen production.
But even with the healthiest of skin, stretch marks can still be a thing. And there’s no shame in that.
We hereby declare them babe marks
moode muse Jameela Jamil showcased her marks recently, citing
“boob stretch marks are a normal thing. I have stretch marks all over my body and I hereby rename them all Babe Marks. They are a sign my body dared to take up extra space in a society that demands our eternal thinness, they are my badge of honour for resisting society's weaponizing of the female form."
With stretch marks crawling all over, perhaps it’s our time to reinterpret their story. We’re growing, we're changing, we’re stretching, so why can’t our babe marks too?