Our hearts go out to the model Tess Holliday, after she revealed she is struggling to care for her kids and work at the same time.
The 31-year-old shared a photo of herself in tears, explaining she'd been up all night with her son Bowie, 8 months, who was teething.
The mum said she can normally deal with the pressures of being a mum and working as a model but today was different.
This is the reality of being a mom. I've been up since 3 am, & every time I get Bowie to sleep & try to lay him down, he wakes up. He is teething & has no clue I have to work today, & most days I can work 15 hour days, take care of both boys & put some lipstick on & deal with it. Most days I drink my coffee & smile at every little thing he does thinking it's the best thing in the world, but not today. I've been crying for nearly two hours, & I'm crying as I write this. I've reached my limit, exceeded it to be honest. My confidence has taken a blow with this birth & it wasn't until this morning I realized why. The pressure of "looking good" for a living is too much today. When your face is breaking out from the hormones of breastfeeding + total exhaustion from lack of sleep, bags under your eyes, patchy red skin & to top it off no energy to work out or leave my bed.. how do you do it? How do you feel confident in your skin & feel like you aren't letting the client down by showing up exhausted & disheveled? Yes, I chose a career based on my looks & I'm the first one to say that beauty isn't what should drive you, it's certainly not what motivates me. As a working mom in an industry that's as critical as mine, where is the line? The balance? The compassion? Is any career understanding when you show up at negative 10% because your kids wouldn't let you sleep & you want to hide under your covers & cry? Not many. I hope one day that changes & society views mothers as the flawed human beings we are that are just trying to keep our shit together like everyone else. #effyourbeautystandards #workingmoms #disruptperfectmomsyndrome
A post shared by Plus ModelMom Feminist (@tessholliday) on
Tess admits a combination of exhaustion and stress had driven her to this point.
She's since received messages of support and encouragement from other mums who can relate to her struggles.
One follower wrote: "It's hard to juggle all of it and to be a mom at the same time, but you are doing great!!
"Your baby loves you and that's what counts. Stay strong!"
Tess is also mum to Rilee, aged 11.
We hope Tess gets the support she needs from friends and family, the teething months are such a tough time.
