Pregnant Ashley James praised as she embraces stretch marks as 'gift from mother nature'
The former Made In Chelsea star, who is expecting her first child - a boy - with boyfriend Tom Andrews, says she no longer sees her stretch marks as a bad thing
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Ashley James has been showered with praise by her adoring fans after embracing her stretch marks.
The pregnant star says while she used to hate them, she now thinks of them as a "gift from mother nature".
The former Made In Chelsea star, 33, is expecting her first baby - a little boy - with boyfriend Tom Andrews, and she's come to fully embrace the changes her body is going through.
Taking to Instagram, Ashley posed for a stunning snap in her underwear as she lay back on the bed cradling her growing bump.
Her stretch marks are visible at the top of her thighs.
She penned: "STRETCH MARKS What if we stopped seeing stretch marks as bad, and started seeing them as a gift from mother nature, like a tattoo or intricate stitching to document the tapestry of our lives?
"I mentioned this briefly in a previous post, but as I hit the 21 week mark, I wanted to talk about stretch marks. I've had stretch marks around my boob since I was 15, and around my bum from, well I don't quite know what age. Now as my baby develops, I'm noticing them appear more across my bum and thighs.
"It's interesting that there's so many pregnancy products aimed at helping you get rid of your stretch marks. Pregnancy books telling you how to do everything to avoid them, inferring that we should dislike these appearing stretches in our skin."
She added: "I'm not going to sit here and tell you that you should LOVE your stretch marks, but you could learn not to hate them either.
"Whilst I am using a body butter aimed at preventing them and reducing the redness, I've also shifted my perspective around them and quite enjoy noticing them when they do appear. I don't think they're ugly or bad. I like to think that it's our body commemorating a chapter in the stories of our lives, like the whorls that appear on the tree trunks.
"We might all have stretch marks in varying amounts, but we nearly all have them, no matter what our body type. But each one tells a story: We might have grown quickly as teens, survived lumps, or be growing new life inside us... They all sound like wonderful stories to me.
"It's our marks and scars that tell a story, that add character to our bodies, and that make us perfectly unique."
Her fans were blown away by her body confident message.
One commented: "You’re exactly what the internet needs"
Another agreed: "Battle scars for bringing beautiful life into the world..."
While one wrote: "I heard someone call them tiger stripes and I think that's a pretty cool take. It's powerful and positive."
A male follower posted: "I view a woman so stretch marks the same way I view my surgical scars: they are badges of honour, commemorating life’s battles survived and victories won."
MirrorCeleb