Mina Starsiak Hawk Has the Perfect Response to a Fan Who Mom Shamed Her for Getting a Tummy Tuck
This story was originally published on 1/19/2021; it has been updated to reflect new information.
Good Bones star Mina Starsiak Hawk is feeling good! The mom-of-two shared a photo of herself to Instagram on Monday showing off the results of her tummy tuck, six weeks post-operation.
In the photo, Starsiak Hawk is seen sporting a slimmer figure, which she credits to pēkomd cosmetic surgery. She writes in her caption that she recently posed for People magazine, where her real tummy tuck transformation photos live. "They’ve got all the details and pics from throughout the process and crazy videos," she notes, adding that she'll share these assets and chat with fans on Instagram Live once she's given the green light."Be kind; leave your judgment at home pretty please," she asks fans ahead of time.
While many fans left kind words in the comments section of Starsiak Hawk's post, others criticized the mom-of-two for having the procedure done. Starsiak Hawk shared a DM she had received, as well as her response, to her Instagram Stories. 'I'm actually very disappointed that you took this direction in life instead of showing all the women out there that we don't all have perfect bodies after having children," the message began. "Not every woman out there can afford to get their body chopped up and sucked," it continued. The sender of the message (who Starsiak Hawk kept anonymous) noted that she is a 58-year-old woman currently battling stage 4 cancer. "There's so much more to life than body image," she wrote, suggesting that Starsiak Hawk should have spent the money on a nutritionist and personal trainer.
Hawk replied to the woman's message explaining that she understands a tummy tuck isn't for everyone, but asked that the woman try to be more supportive of other women's decisions. "Putting the same amount of money towards a trainer just reiterates the idea that we can't have something or don't deserve something as women unless we've struggled physically, mentally, and emotionally," she wrote. Starsiak Hawk continued to explain that the procedure was a form of self-love for her, and noted that anything from cherishing your stretch marks, to wearing makeup, to surgery can qualify.
The HGTV star had announced her decision to get a tummy tuck in November 2020. In a very candid Instagram post, she shared a snap of her Cesarean delivery (C-section) scar as well as a note expressing her thoughts and feelings about her body since giving birth to her second child. She also explained why she wanted to undergo a procedure that was strictly cosmetic.
"As a woman and as a mom I feel it's tough to 'win,'" the note's title read. The first few lines shed a light on the unrealistic expectations that society expects moms to adhere to—such as "embracing your body in all its form" while simultaneously not "letting yourself go."
Then, Starsiak Hawk got blunt: "I don't lovingly embrace my post baby body, particularly my scar and the lovely 'shelf' that comes along with it," the Good Bones star wrote. "It doesn't remind me of my ability to grow a life for 10 months and then birth it ... my amazing kids do that," she explained. Instead "it reminds me that I was cut open and put back together in a way that doesn't feel like ME."
Starsiak Hawk explained that society had guilted her into feeling bad about talking negatively about her body. "[Because] I'm supposed to love my body no matter what and if I don't I'm not feminist enough or strong enough against societal norms," she wrote. However, at the end of the day, loving her body was not an easy task. "I don't love my scar or my shelf or my abdominal muscles that tore apart and will likely never go back together the same," she wrote. She added that she had been thinking about this surgery for a while and would be getting it despite the judgment she might face from others.
Besides mending her C-section scar, this operation also helped heal Starsiak Hawk's abdominal muscles which tore apart during her pregnancy. As a refresher, she suffered from diastasis recti, a partial or complete separation of the rectus abdominis, when carrying Charlotte. Although the condition usually isn’t dangerous, it did alter her stomach’s appearance. She previously explained on her Instagram Stories that if she laid down flat and tried to sit up to contract her abs "instead of being like a smooth circle for my belly, it's kind of like a triangle."
As we wait for Starsiak Hawk to share more transformation snaps, we'll continue to bask in this photo of a happy mama and her refreshing take on her body after pregnancy — which as she previously revealed, will be her last pregnancy.
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