Even the most beautiful woman shies away from the bikini.

The conventional idea is, that you need the perfect legs, the perfect face and the perfect body. But what if someone challenges your idea of the ‘perfect bikini body’?

By posing in a bikini with stretch marks and a saggy stomach?

Rachel Hollis, author, blogger and mother of three, has done exactly that. She recently went on Facebook to share a holiday picture of herself in a bikini, while proudly declaring that she is not ashamed of either her stretch marks or her flabby stomach, because these do not make her ugly.

Rather, they’re a symbol of the fact that she is a proud mother of three!

Within a matter of hours, several young (and old) mothers had commented on the photo, thanking Hollis for her courage and sharing their own experiences of feeling shame over their stretch marks.

What was remarkable was, that many women who were not mothers also found resonance in Hollis’ message.

Thank you, Rachel Hollis. For proving that one doesn’t need a perfect body to wear a bikini.

And for showing the world that stretch marks are beautiful too.