Monica Garcia Opens Up About Body Image Struggles After Miscarriage: "I Was Ashamed"
The RHOSLC mom shared an empowering message less than two months after her pregnancy loss.
Monica Garcia is getting real about her journey to self-love.
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City mom tackled the subject on Wednesday, June 5, less than two months after revealing she had suffered a miscarriage. Monica spoke candidly about the pregnancy aftermath and how her body went through physical changes that some may consider undesirable. But the mother of four said she wasn't fretting over her new physique, as she's learned to embrace and celebrate the body she has.
Monica Garcia on her postpartum body changes: "I do not care!"
“Loving yourself just as you are is the greatest revolution!!” Monica captioned an Instagram post, which showed her rocking a teeny bikini against an ocean backdrop. “Body positivity isn’t a lie and you do not exist solely to lose weight and be pretty.”
She continued: “Right now I am the heaviest I’ve been. Since the pregnancy and miscarriage my bloating is out of control! Rolls, cellulite, stretch marks, I’ve got it all! My body is definitely going through it, BUT because of the way we have shifted our mindset and leaned into acceptance, I do not care!!”
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Monica Garcia admits she was once "ashamed" of her physique
The post underscored just how far Monica has come in achieving self-acceptance. She admitted it was “not that long ago” when she struggled to wear a swimsuit in public, as she’d always cover it up “with a tank top and shorts.” But she — like countless others — has taken cues from the body-positivity movement and has become increasingly inspired by its leading figures, like models Ashley Graham, Precious Lee, Tess Holliday, Candice Huffine, Sarah Nicole Landry, and Paloma Elsesser.
“I felt ashamed of my body,” she said. “People can say what they want or think it’s better to be skinny and try to sell that to others around them, NOT TRUE. You cannot deny how far we have come as a whole with body positivity and learning to LOVE our bodies just as they are. We now have women of all sizes walking Sports Illustrated runways, modeling for Victoria’s Secret and crushing their Vogue photoshoots! Curvy women are being celebrated across the board now!!”
Monica concluded the post with an empowering and inspirational message: “Celebrate your body in all its glory!!!!! Don’t hold back! Climb that rock and get wet!!!” she wrote. “YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!!!!! YOU ARE SEXY!!!! Hot girl summer is here, honey and we are not missing out!”
Monica Garcia confirms she's expecting baby No. 5
During an April appearance on The Viall Files podcast, Monica announced she was expecting baby No. 5 with her boyfriend, Braxton Knight. She told the host she had learned about the pregnancy shortly before the sitdown and was completely shocked by the news.
“I am pregnant. I literally just found out,” she said. “I have not told one f-cking person except for my best friend. I’m like seven weeks. But, yeah, I’m pregnant, it’s so crazy. It’s so scary… By all means, I should not be pregnant.”
Monica Garcia reveals she suffered a miscarriage
Several weeks later, Monica informed her followers she had lost the baby during her second trimester.
“One thing I promised myself when opening my life up to all of you was that I was going to do it completely unapologetically and authentically raw as possible,” she wrote in an April 28 Instagram. “I would show you my life in all aspects because that is what I agreed to do. Unfortunately, today I need to share a very heartbreaking aspect. ‘There is no heartbeat.’
“I don’t have many words and I’m still processing all of this myself,” she continued. “As quickly as this happened, that’s how quickly things have changed. I am sending so much love to everyone dealing with miscarriages, fertility issues, pregnancy problems, if you have an angel baby, and everything in-between.”
