Maybe, just maybe, one of these days people will learn to keep their unnecessary rude comments to themselves. Especially when dealing with pregnant women. Georgia-based news anchor Laura Warren is happily (and adorably) 20 weeks pregnant. Like most other expecting women, she has a new maternity wardrobe, as well as a whole host of new hormones to go with it. So when a viewer left an unbelievably rude voicemail for her, she unsurprisingly had a reaction.
You can hear the gem of a voicemail below, but here’s what the incredibly unhelpful woman had to say to Warren:
Please go to Target and buy some decent maternity clothes so you don’t walk around looking like you got a watermelon strapped under your too tight outfits. Target’s got a great line of maternity clothes in case you’ve never heard of such a thing. You’re getting to where you’re being disgusting on the TV.
If that had been me? In all my 20-weeks-pregnant rage I would have dared the woman to express her “opinion” to my face instead of cowering anonymously behind a voicemail. But Warren posted a beautiful response on her blog.
So, the thick skinned journalist in me who knows better than to give comments like this a second thought says, delete the voicemail and move on.Unfortunately, I’m pregnant, hormonal, currently not allowed to drink wine, and feeling extra in touch with my feminist side.
Did she just call a pregnant person disgusting? What kind of…I am only at week 20 of this? Am I going to have to deal with this crap another 20 weeks? Should I have my consultant or my boss call her and tell her tailored, form fitting clothes look way better on air than baggy ones, especially when pregnant? Is that a WOMAN who called me?!? Is she a MOTHER?!?!? The freaking nerve…
I consider myself a confident, pretty secure, independent, woman. Why was I letting this one ridiculous, negative comment ruin my whole day? I’ve gotten dozens of compliments from viewers saying nice things about my pregnancy, why was this the one that stuck?I don’t really have an answer. If I did, I could probably solve the world’s bullying problem. But, that whole saying our moms taught us about sticks and stones is kind of garbage. In fact, sometimes, I think words hurt far worse than sticks. And right now, we are living in a culture tolerating, often even encouraging bullies. Politicians, angry Democrats and Republicans, anonymous keyboard warriors, social media bullies….How do we teach our kids to be kind when adults all around them can say such cruel things?It worries me. Right now, I can protect this sweet little boy. But, I won’t always be able to. I certainly don’t want him to dwell on the negative things insecure people are bound to say about him.
So, I think instead of letting this lady get me down, I’m just going to turn her negative energy into positive energy. I’m going to say as many nice things as I can to as many people as I can, and I’m going to do it in a dress that fits these beautiful new curves with my “watermelon” stomach showing.
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