Some individuals can find anything to complain about – and with the internet the world is their oyster.
For some unknown reason, next to celebrities, mothers are the most judged subset of people.
There is one feisty momma, however, that is not going to stand for the uncalled comments during her pregnancy journey.
ESPN sportscaster Molly McGrath has been working in the field for over ten years.
When people think of sportscasters, they generally think of men like Keith Olbermann or Bob Costas; and that’s because it is a highly male-dominated career.
So, you can only imagine the comments made toward McGrath, the former Boston College cheerleader, gets on a normal day on the job.
Now that she is rocking a baby bump, the noise by naysayers has only been amplified.
Ignoring negative comments is in the job description, but McGrath is human – and has a ton more hormones coursing through her veins.
That is why when a commenter on Instagram wrote hurtful things about her beautifully changing pregnant body, she had to say something.
The post featured a picture of McGrath who is obviously pregnant, wearing rain boots, a baseball cap, and a rain jacket.
The caption began:
“Last night I was on my feet for over 6 hours straight, in the rain, and knew that I would only get 3 hours of sleep because of a last second flight change. For the first time, maybe ever, I let a cruel troll tweet about the changes of my pregnant body get to me.”
Sleep deprivation causes some pregnant women to call their mother-in-law at 3am to let them know they ruined last Thanksgiving with all of their complaining.
So, addressing a hurtful post you let get to you is basically the kindest thing she could have done after a day like that.
But the whole experience caused McGrath to really count her blessings and look at her career through a whole new lens.
Her post continued:
“I am proud to be a pregnant woman working full-time and I am proud that the monstrosity of creating a human life has not, and will not, slow me down.”
Of course, what we post and how we feel, especially initially, about these types of situations aren’t always one and the same.
In an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle, McGrath reveals how she wants to be a shining example for other women in her situation.
She says:
“I felt that it was my responsibility to use this situation as an example and show women that they don’t have to be ashamed of their bodies, especially when they’re carrying life inside of them. It’s rare to see a pregnant woman on television, but shouldn’t television be a representation of the world we live in?”
Being a working mom, especially in today’s world where we don’t have access to all the services that aid in sharing responsibilities, is tough to balance.
McGrath recognizes all the effort made in the television industry to exclude pregnancy from the viewers.
“I don’t want women to hide anymore if they don’t want to. I want young women to see me on TV and know that you can have a successful career and a family,” she says.
Taking away a woman’s motherhood by creating a stigma of pregnancy in the media is so far removed from the idea of progress, diversity, and acceptance.
Thankfully, McGrath is unapologetically telling all the trolls on social media exactly what they need to hear.
She concludes her post:
“Women are freaking incredible and powerful and anyone who doesn’t see that can kiss my big achey butt.”
And the echoes of all women who have ever been pregnant ring out, “I concur!”