Don’t mistreat this mother.
An Australian fitness influencer is retaliating after receiving criticism for posing with her teenage son in a thong bikini.
The picture of Sophie Guidolin, 33, cuddling up to her son Kai with her bare booty on display was posted to Sophie’s 562,000 Instagram followers in honor of Kai’s 15th birthday.
The “inappropriate” picture was immediately attacked by haters who said Kai appeared “uncomfortable” and that Guidolin was using her son to satisfy her “burning addiction to attention.” Other obscene tolls alleged that the proud mother appeared to be “banging” her child.
But a defiant Guidolin isn’t backing down: “Having a body is normal, having body parts is normal, it’s not sexualized, it’s nothing shameful, and it’s something I reiterate and drive home here with my boys,” she told the Daily Star in a new interview.
“So when they see me in a bikini, they don’t think anything other than ‘Hmm, mom’s tanning, mom’s going to the beach, going for a swim,’” she further explained. “They don’t see me and be like ‘Oooh what a sexy bum you’ve got.’”
In April, Guidolin published the image for the first time, gaining widespread attention in Australia.
The influencer and nutritionist were compelled to change the caption on the Instagram photo because it continues to draw criticism.
“We live in the Gold Coast, Australia, where wearing a bikini to the beach is so beyond normal, that I didn’t even consider having to place a disclaimer on this photo,” the update read.
She later shared a video with her son in which he claimed not to be embarrassed by the picture.
“Do I have a problem wearing a bikini in front of my sons? NO WAY. Why? Because im not sexualized to him, nor have I ever been!!!” the mama bear further raged. “If you have an issue, maybe you should look into why you feel you have to sexualize a woman’s body instead of it simply being a mom and her son at the pool!!!”
Numerous mothers advised Guidolin to disregard her detractors, with one writing: “Too many sick people around on social media.”
“I think the pic is beautiful,” a fellow fan fawned.
