Sarah Nicole Landry, known as The Bird’s Papaya, is all about spreading self-love and acceptance. A mom of four, she’s famous for her candid posts, recently sharing unedited photos of her stomach — stretch marks and all — to promote body positivity and offer a real glimpse of postpartum bodies. However, she soon faced a wave of criticism.
Sarah is an advocate for self-love and body acceptance.
Sarah Nicole Landry, widely known as The Bird’s Papaya to her two million followers, is an advocate for self-love and body acceptance, drawing from her own journey with body image to inspire others. Her openness about embracing change and finding confidence in herself has made her a role model for many who struggle with societal beauty standards.
Recently, she shared an unedited bikini photo, proudly showing her stretch marks — a real look at her postpartum body. Sarah tried to prove the point that you don’t have to be ’perfect’ to deserve love.
While she received lots of support, she also faced some critical comments. Some people assumed her husband must feel “disgusted” by her stretch marks. Sarah highlighted one of the awkward questions she sometimes gets online: “Wait, your husband actually likes your stretch marks? How do you deal with that?”
Well, turns out she handles it like a champ. The video kicks off with Sarah confidently posing in a bikini, embracing her stretch marks. Suddenly, her husband swoops in, picks her up, and they share a fun, sweet moment together. On Instagram, she captioned it with, “I’m the light of his life, and they’re the lightning, next question!”
But Sarah didn’t let the negativity faze her.
She admitted that she never thought anyone would be okay with her stretch marks — least of all her husband — especially when she wasn’t okay with them. So, she hid them during the early years of their relationship. And again after giving birth, she wore T-shirts all the time, feeling that her stretch marks were a burden, a flaw, something to be ashamed of.
But that wasn’t the reality. It was simply a lack of understanding that her body was just experiencing something completely normal.
Accepting her body has been a long work in progress.
And it’s okay that it took her some time to unlearn those feelings and embrace the love waiting for her.
She knows this may sound overly simplistic. In truth, it’s taken her nearly a decade of self-work. So, if someone’s reading this thinking, “Sure, right,” she gets it. For anyone just beginning to even consider accepting — not necessarily loving, but accepting — their body’s incredible ability to adapt and change, that’s a big step.
She wishes she could reclaim the time spent hiding, but she can’t. What she can do, though, is show up now. She can embrace herself openly, showing others that this is a normal experience for her, and for so many others. There’s no need to hide, especially when our skin carries marks like lightning strikes, something almost magical.
Sarah shared an old video of her slimmer self to highlight the importance of embracing body changes.
In another post, she posted an old photo from her thinner days, reflecting on how bodies naturally change as we grow older — and how it’s not something to stress about.
Instead of hiding, Sarah’s decided to proudly celebrate her body, strutting in sleek swimwear to show off her curves. She captioned the video with, “I want to have a brilliant caption. I do. I wish there were words for the years and the teachings and the really hard times too. But what if I just showed you this? Just my own lived experience.”
She added that she no longer waits to feel “perfect” before showing up. Her message was clear: change can be a beautiful thing.
Sarah’s followers responded, sharing how much they resonated with her message. One commented, “I want to feel that way too. What are the steps? Need help.” Another wrote, “Going through a tough time with my child’s health… I’d love to gain 10 pounds and feel better like you.” Fans praised her honesty and openness, with many saying she inspires them to be kinder to themselves.
Now, fully comfortable in her own skin, Sarah takes pride in her body’s unique story, honoring her “apron belly” and stretch marks. She celebrates the way her body has evolved over the years, reminding us that it’s borne life and strength.
Sarah’s story is a beautiful reminder that our bodies are more than what we see in the mirror — they’re symbols of resilience and growth.
Her post has struck a chord, racking up over 95,000 likes and tons of supportive comments.
Parents commented on how her message impacts their families, like one mom who shared that her 7-year-old daughter asked about her own stretch marks, calling them “sparkles” and saying she wanted some of her own someday. Another follower remarked, “I’ve never met a grown man who cares about stretch marks or cellulite, for that matter!”
Another person admitted, “I hid my stomach from my husband for 15 years. Thanks to you, I found the courage to stop hiding, and it’s made our moments together even better.”
