Nick Viall’s Wife Natalie Joy Schools the Internet About Postpartum Breasts

The couple shared their wedding photos on social media but it was Natalie Joy's cleavage that got criticized.

Fact checked by Sarah Scott

After you have a baby, your body can feel like it’s, well, not even yours. Between engorged breasts and a deflated-looking tummy, I looked down and barely recognized myself. That said, I wasn’t super focused on my appearance post-baby—I was too busy adjusting to my new mom life. Still, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sensitive about the topic.

I specifically recall an off-handed comment my neighbor made a few months after I gave birth to my son. One afternoon when I’d finally squeezed into some corduroys, he joked that it was nice to see me wearing something other than stretch pants. I went home and cried. Didn’t he know I’d been sporting stretchy pants because nothing else fit?

I can’t imagine how brutal it would be if comments about my body went viral, whether I’d just given birth or not! And yet, that’s the reality for Natalie Joy, who recently married Bachelor alum and podcaster Nick Viall. The couple said “I do” on April 27, 2024, after having welcomed their first child together, a daughter named River Rose, in February, per People.

While the photos of the affair look lovely, somehow a few commenters found an aspect of the new mom’s appearance to attack. According to Joy, the size of her chest in her dress was apparently fair game for trolls, but she wasn’t having any of it.

Taking to her Instagram Stories, the star clapped back at haters with a response that has me wanting to give her a standing ovation. “Some of y’all are actually being ridiculous with these comments. Yes I'm breastfeeding so as the night went on my boobs got bigger,” she wrote.

"I was not in 'pain,’” she went on to clarify, adding, “Simply just had massive t**s. I was surrounded by people that I consider family and literal family. Nobody made it weird so y’all don't make it weird."

Keep in mind, changes in the chest during pregnancy and after delivery are totally normal. Breasts can become swollen and full of milk when nursing, particularly if a person goes a long time between feedings, according to March of Dimes.

Joy finished her epic response by asserting she is “continuing on with good vibes and wishing y’all the best.”

Supporters soon flooded the comments section of photos Joy posted from the wedding. “We should be talking about the fact that she just had a baby and the only thing that matters is that she was comfortable and felt good about herself,” one person said.

“We don’t claim the grown women in the comments who are commenting on a newly postpartum and breastfeeding body!” another fan asserted.

This comment sums up what I’m thinking: “The fact it’s 2024 and women are really on here bothered by another woman’s breasts is weird and bizarre! Be happy for two happy people in love and scroll on!”

Indeed, I join that sentiment and wish Joy, Viall, and their sweet little baby much, well, joy! I also wish that comments about women’s bodies at any stage were just off limits. Since that day may not come anytime soon, I commend Joy for standing up to her bullies, and normalizing embracing your body post-baby.

A suggestion? Let’s remember that whether you’re walking down the street, or celebrating a major life milestone like a wedding, it can take courage to put yourself out there. So be kind. The end.

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