Iskra Lawrence says she's struggling to feel 'comfortable shooting in lingerie' after becoming a mom
Iskra Lawrence is sharing a message about struggling with her identity now that she's a mother.
The model, 31, took to Instagram on Tuesday to share several photos of herself in jeans a bodysuit — which included one particularly "cheeky" pic. Lawrence wrote in the caption that it's been a challenge to get back to these more provocative poses. Lawrence welcomed her first child, a son, with her partner Philip Payne in April 2020.
"I hate that this was so hard to post. I swear becoming a mom comes with so much more guilt and self doubt than I ever imagined," she wrote. "I've been a model for 18years. Swim and lingerie modeling will always be my career - being comfortable shooting my body and confident in my sexuality has always been natural. But now — being a mom I feel this expectation to be fully clothed, change the way I pose and be careful of my 'image' everyday."
She added, "being proud of my curves, comfortable shooting lingerie and swimwear and posting whatever I want doesn't mean I'm not a great mother."
"All the parts, past and present aren’t mutually exclusive. I can be all of me and so can you," she continued. "If you're struggling as a new mom, seasoned mom, career woman or none of the above, but still feel this shame about showing / being confident in your body this is your reminder that you have full authority of your life and no one else or their expectations can change that."
Despite Lawrence's initial reservations to post these photos, she received plenty of love in the comments section. One follower wrote, "You are so gorgeous and that beautiful body made another human!" Another added, "As a [42-year-old] working mom of two we are all just doing what we think is best for our family. Do what’s right for [you]. You know what that is in your gut. As for showing off your figure. I beg you to. You are stunning! You are a goddess and ANYONE who tries to say otherwise is just threatened by your energy!"
This isn't the first time that the model has addressed this particular issue. In July 2021, she shared a message on Instagram about changing her behavior in order to be perceived as a good role model.
"Sometimes I miss how comfortable in my sexuality I was," Lawrence wrote at the time. "How unashamed I was of nudity and posing provocatively but in an unforced natural way. I shut myself off from a lot of things when I grew a platform, started to feel the pressure of people holding me to a 'role model' standard and expecting me to be the perfect polite well rehearsed human."
She said she feels the pressure to be "socially acceptable" online, but now is trying to "re-find the lost parts" of herself.
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