A woman has taken to social media to reveal that she was shamed by a group of other moms at a playground - because she looked "too nice".
Despite the fact that mothers should be given all the respect in the world for what they do, sadly, mom-shaming is a very real problem. And unfortunately, some mothers can actually find themselves being shamed by other moms.
For example, TikTok user Rosa Picosa (@rosapicosa) discovered this the hard way when she took her young son on a trip to the playground.
"Last year, my son and I were on our weekly playground excursion when we came across the ever-intimidating 'mom group,'" she says in the video. "Now, I had zero reasons to believe they were anything but harmless, but my high school survival instincts told me to keep my distance."
Check out Rosa's video below:However, Rosa's son wandered straight into the middle of the 'mom group', causing the mother to break out in a "nervous sweat".
"As I reluctantly trace a path to him, I hear one of the moms say something I won't soon forget," the doting mother says.
Rosa then revealed that one of the other moms bluntly told her: "Oh, you look nice. I don't like you."
As the other moms started to snigger at the comment, Rosa reveals that the mom's comment sent a "jolt through [her] system".
In response to the comment, Rosa found herself lying to the group, telling them: "Oh, this is like the first time I've gotten dressed in three weeks."
She then started to question herself - wondering if she was, in fact, "overdressed" to take her son to the playground. She then asks: "Does working in the home mean I don't have to get dressed every day?"
Despite the comment, Rosa revealed that she won't stop getting dressed up. "I've discovered that deliberately getting myself ready in the morning helps me to mentally prepare for that day - and fills my morning with purpose," she said. "And, yes, that means getting dressed all the way down to my shows; whether I'm leaving the house or not."
After amassing more than 1.5 million views and over 2,000 comments, other TikTokers had plenty to say about Rosa's video and experience with mom-shaming.
"It was likely her lashing out because she found YOU intimidating. It was insecurity, not you. You look fab," one TikTok user commented.
A second added: "The thing I hate about that interaction is that she likely wouldn’t have said that without the other moms there."
And a third wrote: "Internalized [misogyny]. You’re good babe. I’m the same way and I’ve received the same comments. Just projections."
Others were quick to praise Rosa's method of getting ready each day.
"THANK YOU!! One of my favorite parts of the day is getting ready and that didn’t change just because I stay home now. It helps my mental health," one person commented.
There's certainly a lot to unpack from this viral post.
Firstly: Let's stop mom-shaming.
And secondly, whether you're a stay-at-home mom or just working from home following the pandemic, getting ready each morning may help you feel like the day has more "purpose". It's definitely something I'm going to try instead of walking around in my sweats.
