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22 Applause-Worthy Times Celebrities Expertly Shut Down Mom-Shamers

by Brianna Wiest

The judgment put upon mothers, especially new mothers, is relentless, unfounded, and overall just ridiculous. Whether you're famous or not, you probably know this to be true. However, new moms who are also public figures tend to be under even more scrutiny. To remind you that you never have to tolerate it, here are some incredible times celebrities have shut down mom-shamers and trolls on social media.

Though the internet has made it so that we can happily follow along as our favorite actors, musicians, reality stars, and other public figures share their growing families, businesses, and personal lives, there's always a dark side on the web. Namely, people who seem to feel they have the right to criticize everything from the innocuous, such as what a child's wearing or eating, to the truly uncalled for, such as whether they've taken appropriate parenting precautions during various activities, to the downright troubling, like commenting on a mother's postpartum body).

Surely you've seen some of these infuriating comments floating around social media at some point in recent years. Fortunately, though many celebrities, like these below, simply refuse to tolerate this type of treatment and often, and expertly so, clap back at their critics, serving as an inspiration to us all.

Chrissy Teigen

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Though the barrage of mom-shaming directed at Chrissy Teigen is elicited for everything from what she dresses her kids in to, uh, taking them to the dentist, perhaps one of the more outlandish was when the cookbook author was ridiculed for leaving her daughter at home to attend dinner with husband, John Legend, back in 2016. She first called out the passive aggressiveness on Twitter, saying: "I never wanted to leave my daughter, i love her, BUT THAT'S JUST ME" - the passive aggressiveness is real!"

Teigen went on to answer another fan's tweet inquiring how her daughter was doing by saying: "i dunno i can't find her," truly bringing her one-of-a-kind humor into another truly maddening situation.

Khloé Kardashian

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After welcoming her daughter, True Thompson, last year, the shaming came hard for how Khloé Kardashian chose to handle her health and fitness postpartum.

As ABC News reported last August, she shared on Twitter that she's "completely over mommy/body shamers! Women who choose 2take their time after baby, I’m so proud of you! Women who choose to work out after baby, I’m so proud of you! We all must do what’s best for US!.. Please b kind 2urself! A happy mommy makes for a happy baby! Love your process."

Amy Schumer

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Amy Schumer decided to take the high road when people started shaming her for returning to work "too soon" after giving birth to her son Gene earlier this year, as People reported in late May. Her approach? Kill 'em with kindness.

"Sending out love to the moms shaming me for doing standup last night!" she captioned a photo of herself pumping on Instagram.

Kristin Cavallari

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Back in 2015, after posting a photo of her children on vacation, some people took issue with how they looked, suggesting that Kristin Cavallari wasn't feeding them enough. And the reality TV star had a pretty epic response.

"Yep, I starve my children," she wrote in the comments of the photo. "Just blocked the most people I've ever blocked in my entire life. Happy 4th hahaha."

Coco Rocha

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After posting a photo of herself bottle-feeding her daughter, Canadian model Coco Rocha was shamed for not breastfeeding at a young age. She then took to Instagram again to clarify why it was the right choice for her, and why it's a valid one regardless (and truly does not even need a justification anyway). As she wrote on Instagram in September 2015:

Getting a lot of unwanted advice based on my last post. Not that this is anyone's business - I loved breastfeeding Ioni for the first 5 months of her life and then one day my milk went dry. It happens to every mom at different times. She's been on formula for a few weeks now and seems to be doing just fine. In the last 4 weeks she gained another 2 pounds, grew another inch and is in the 90th percentile for her age. Anyone who has a negative comment to make on the way I raise my baby will be blocked. This is not a democracy, everyone doesn't get a say.

Hilary Duff

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After being called a "C minus mother" by a tabloid because her son, Luca, was crying over his haircut, Hilary Duff told TODAY in 2015 that it's difficult when “everything I do feels judged or picked apart, and the whole world gets to know about it." She went on to say that "you're overwhelmed and you're trying your best," the latter of which she most certainly is.

Coco Austin

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After being shamed for hiring help (which she says she does not do, though it would be absolutely, completely fine either way) Coco Austin shared Twitter how frustrated she becomes with the judgment, as Redbook reported in 2015.

"Some comments really frustrate me at times. Some assume since u have money and live in a 'celebrity world' that you don't do sh*t! Let me add, I don't have nannies or babysitters. I've been 100% hands on w/Chanel I also clean my own house & do my own laundry #100%wife. I'm totally serious when I say I love being a wife. I like the role I play… I can be crazy coco at times but I have a good heart."

Kim Kardashian

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After posting a nude photo to her Instagram, Kim Kardashian hit back at commenters who said she was leaving a negative example for her kids, and explained that she believed in the power of body positivity, and that it's OK to be sexy.

"Is that what you're teaching your child?" one such comment read, to which she responded: "I want [North] to be proud of who she is. I want her to be comfortable in her body. I don't want her to grow up in a world where she is made to feel less-than for embracing everything it means to be a woman. I am a mother. I am a wife, a sister, a daughter, an entrepreneur and I am allowed to be sexy."

Pink

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After taking a photo of her son on vacation without his swim diaper on, the critical comments quickly began to pour in, which Pink was absolutely having none of. She deleted the photo and disabled the comments on a follow-up post, which said:

There’s something seriously wrong with a lot of you out there. Going off about my baby’s penis? About circumcision??? Are you for real? As any normal mother at the beach, I didn’t even notice he took off his swim diaper. I deleted it because you’re all f--king disgusting. And now I’m turning off my comments and shaking my head at the state of social media and keyboard warriors and the negativity that you bring to other people’s lives.

April Love Geary

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After being criticized for letting her daughter eat Hot Cheetos, as Us Weekly reported, model April Love Geary, who's engaged to Robin Thicke, quipped back on Instagram: “We’re here for a good time, not a long time." Touché.

Catelynn Lowell

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After being shamed for leaving her daughter for a spa day in celebration of her birthday, Teen Mom OG's Catelynn Lowell tweeted: “Nova was FINE two minutes after I left!” explaining why her daughter was crying initially (which is completely, totally normal, BTW). “That was my first time by myself in MONTHS!!! And it was my birthday! If you are a parent you know that sometimes u need me time!”

Arie Luyendyk Jr.

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After wife Lauren Burnham posted a photo of herself spending time with her sister a week after she gave birth, followers began judging her for leaving her baby. Her husband, The Bachelor's Arie Luyendyk Jr., came to her defense, sharing the following on Instagram:

To all the negative comments regarding leaving her with grandma for a 45min lunch, cut her some slack! It was my idea because she has been working so hard to keep up and quite frankly I commend her for 1. Being an incredible mom and getting the breast-feeding down enough to make sure she had enough while she was at lunch. (Moms know that breast-feeding can be difficult) and 2. So much of being a good parent is making sure you take care of yourself. She wanted a healthy meal with her sister who is in town.

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi

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After having her third baby, as E! News reported, Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi responded to body-shamers suggesting that it wasn't OK to return to the gym postpartum.

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but don’t attack me for wanting to become strong and fit again after my pregnancy," the Jersey Shore star wrote on Instagram in June. "My boobs are leaking and pulsating, my butthole is sore and my cramps are unbearable & I’m still wearing a diaper the size of Texas. Postpartum is a b*tch. But I’m allowed to look on the bright side of things and want to get back into shape. Don’t punish me for that."

Hilaria Baldwin

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After posting a photo of her baby swimming with her husband, Alec Baldwin, according to People, people began inquiring whether he had sunscreen on, given that he was not wearing a sun hat in the image.

"If you would like, I will invite you to my home and you can try to both put a hat on him and have him keep it on," Hilaria Baldwin replied on Instagram. "You will be my honored guest. And OF COURSE he has sunscreen on. What is wrong with people that they expect the worst?”

Ayesha Curry

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After a commenter suggested that Ayesha Curry should try "portion control" for her son's meals, according to ABC News, she hit back at the gross body-shaming and simply responded: “Excuse you? No. Just no.”

Kim Zolciak

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During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, The Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kim Zolciak shared that she doesn't worry about negative feedback, and that she knows she's doing the best she can.

I feel like I’m a really good mom. We all make mistakes and we all learn as we go," the mom of six said, according to Entertainment Tonight. "I’m very proud of all of my children. I think I’m a good mom and nobody can really take that.”

Gabrielle Union

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After kissing her daughter on the lips elicited a ton of judgment as to whether or not she was keeping her child "healthy," Gabrielle Union reassured her followers that she's doing nothing but.

“Hey guys I appreciate all the concern about kisses on the mouth and labored breathing, I am blessed enough to have a nurse here with us while at work," she wrote on Instagram in December 2018. "Kaav is healthy and I don’t even touch her without washing and sanitizing myself and everything and everyone that comes into contact with her. If you think I waited this long and went thru all this to put my baby in harm’s way … you got another thing coming.”

Kourtney Kardashian

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After posting a photo of herself solo on a vacation, some commenters suggested that she wasn't spending enough time with her kids. Kourtney Kardashian quickly responded: “My son was taking the photo, and the other two were sitting at a table across from me. Thank you so much for your concern.”

Cardi B

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Cardi B truly clapped back in a way that only Cardi could when a commenter suggested that her baby shower for her daughter Kulture wasn't up to par.

“All that money and the baby shower look like a bucket of CORN,” the comment read, to which Cardi responded: “It was beautiful and we was happy. Your mom waited a whole nine months for you to be ugly and a bucket of disappointment.”

Jessica Simpson

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After commenters expressed concern at the way Jessica Simpson's husband Eric Johnson was playing with their son in the pool, Simpson told Extra: “If they had a husband like mine, they would feel comfortable.”

Jana Kramer

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After judging her for feeding her daughter jarred baby food (the horror!), Jana Kramer posted a succinct message to mom-shamers, as People reported.

"Dear Mommy Shamers, Unless you are Jolie’s doctor, her father, or her mom, do NOT tell me how to raise my child, or how to feed her. Sincerely, Jolie’s MOM," she wrote on Instagram.

Mila Kunis

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When onlookers judged her for feeding her daughter in public, Mila Kunis told TODAY that she felt very frustrated with how much misperception still surrounds breastfeeding.

"There were many times where I didn't bring a cover with me, and so I just did it in a restaurant, in the subway, in the park, at airports and in planes. Why did I do it in public? Because I had to feed my child. She's hungry," she told TODAY in 2016. "It's so not a sexual act. I think it's unfortunate that people are so hard on women who choose to do it and do it in public. If it's not for you, don't look."

No matter who you are or what you do, mom-shaming is a pretty universal issue, no matter how unfortunate it may be. However, these stellar celebs are showing us all how to shut it down and turn the narrative around, once and for all.