‘Good Bones’ Star Mina Starsiak Hawk Shares Photo of C-Section Scar in Powerful Post About Her Postpartum Body

Just a little more than a month after welcoming her second child, Mina Starsiak Hawk is getting candid about her postpartum body. The Good Bones star took to Instagram on Tuesday with a “long, but important” post about her struggle to come to terms with and accept her body after giving birth to daughter Charlotte “Charlie” Drew in September via C-section, in a powerful moment sharing a photo of her C-section scar.

In the post, which began with a photo of her 2-year-old son Jack Richard adorably doting on his little sister, Starsiak Hawk reflected on the judgments that women face, admitting that she feels “like it’s tough to win.” The HGTV star admitted that she has “been thinking about this a lot” as of late because she has been “judging” herself.

Sharing several photos of her C-section scar, Starsiak Hawk said that she doesn’t “lovingly embrace” her postpartum body, admitting that rather than serving as a reminder that she grew “a life or 10 months and then birthed it,” the scar “reminds me that I was cut open and put back together in a way that doesn’t feel like ME.” Those feelings, she said, have made her “feel bad,” because she is “supposed to love my body no matter what and if I don’t I’m not feminist enough or strong enough.”

Acknowledging that she could “work out 7 days a week and live on salads,” she candidly quipped, “who has time for that life? Some superwomen, but not this one.” Listing off the number of things that keep her busy, she said that she “won’t prioritize the time to…get my body to a place I feel like myself,” because “all of those other things in my life are more important than ME.” While she said that she could “cheat” by getting a tummy tuck, the Good Bones star said she would “get judged for that as well.”

“I take pride in showing the REAL me on social media when so many people just show the pretty, happy, perfect version. This is me, the good, the bad and the ugly,” she wrote. “And most are wildly supportive of everyone doing what works for them, but I’ll for sure get those people that just can’t help but judge or say nasty things, but I’m going to be honest anyways. Bc that’s what I value the most.”

Starsiak Hawk ended the post by telling fans that she’ll share as much of her postpartum journey “as I feel I can with you along way. So here’s to keeping it real. For better or worse.”