The latest internet brave heroine

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A photo of a mother-of-three wearing a bikini and showing off her “permanently flabby” post-baby figure has gone viral for its empowering message about body image.

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"That same man says he’s never seen anything sexier than my body, marks and all."

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She posted it to her company Facebook page and within five minutes, the photo had racked up 100 likes. By Tuesday, the photo had more than 325,000 likes and more than 41,000 shares. “We couldn’t believe it,” says Hollis. Then something amazing happened.

Hollis says she’s always struggled with her weight, even before the birth of her sons, ages 2, 6, and 8. “After my first pregnancy I accompanied my husband on a business trip to Hawaii and was hanging out at the pool with all the executive wives,” she says. “Everyone was wearing a bikini and I wore a tankini. When I look at those photos, my body language reveals how self-conscious I was.”

In the comment section, women began proudly posting photos of their own post-baby bodies — “And it seemed like some had taken photos on the spot and posted them,” says Hollis — with statements such as, “This is me! After 2 kids, 1 miscarriage, 7 bladder surgeries, ovarian cancer and a hysterectomy! Love my bikini,” “Rock the mama body,” and “Here is my imperfect tummy but from it I have a perfect daughter.”

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One woman wrote, “Seeing this may give me the courage to wear a bikini again. Had my son almost 8 years ago and haven’t shown my stomach since.” Another: “I don’t look half as good as this but I will probably never look better than I do. Maybe it’s time not to care.”

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