Kylie Jenner has been applauded for sharing a candid photo of her postpartum belly with her millions of followers, a far cry from the perfectly curated, posed pictures she typically posts to her social media.
The makeup mogul, who rose to prominence on her famous family's long-running reality TV show Keeping Up With the Kardashians, gave birth to her second child on February 2.
The 24-year-old, who shares four-year-old daughter Stormi and her newborn son with on-again-off-again partner Travis Scott, is one of the most popular accounts on Instagram, with a staggering 320 million followers. She is currently the most-followed female user in the world.
Jenner frequently shares highly stylised and heavily filtered pictures on the photo-sharing platform, with the small insights into her aspirational life often featuring clips of her extensive designer wardrobe or fleet of flashy vehicles.
However, the mum-of-two has been praised for gradually sharing more personal content with her fanbase, including candid discussions about motherhood. Last week, she opened up about the realities of postpartum depression, admitting the weeks following her son's birth had been difficult "mentally, physically and spiritually".
And in a series of previously unseen photos shared to her Instagram this week, the young businesswoman revealed a seemingly unedited, raw glimpse of her postpartum stomach, with her son's tiny feet pressed against her belly.
The image, which has been styled with a black and white filter, shows her typically taut and toned abdomen in a more relaxed and natural position, with small creases and an indent where her son is resting his foot.
While it may seem trivial, the photo is a far cry from Jenner's highly controlled and perfectly polished image on social media, offering a rare reminder that despite her riches, she is actually a normal human being.
It also draws a stark contrast to her postpartum content following the birth of Stormi in 2018, with the then-21-year-old Jenner seeming to take to motherhood like a duck to water. Her physical recovery also appeared effortless, with the new mum showing off her honed physique in swimwear and sexy clothing mere weeks after giving birth.
But Jenner's supposed fixation on projecting an outwardly 'perfect' and preened image to the world has landed her in hot water, with the star embroiled in multiple accusations of editing her images.
However, her recent content has been widely praised for offering a more open and honest representation of postpartum recovery, with Jenner appearing to take a different tack to her documentation of motherhood.
Speaking on her Instagram Story last week, Jenner admitted that she has been finding the weeks following childbirth "harder" than those after her first pregnancy, and that she has struggled "mentally and physically" since welcoming her son last month.
She even acknowledged that social media can easily alter perceptions of reality, as people will carefully curate the content they feel comfortable projecting to the world. New mums will often only share the highlights, which can lead to distorted views on what is 'normal' or 'acceptable' - leading other struggling mums to question why their experience is so different.
"I didn't just want to get back to life without saying that [it's hard] because I think we can look on the internet - for other moms going through it right now - we can go on the internet, and it might look a lot easier for other people, and put the pressure on us, but it hasn't been easy for me either," Jenner revealed.
"I just keep reminding myself I made a whole human, a beautiful healthy boy... We have to stop putting pressure on ourselves to be 'back'. Not even physically, just mentally, after birth. So yeah, just sending some love."
On Monday (local time), Jenner shared previously unseen footage from her pregnancy and birth in a 10-minute documentary dedicated to her son. To accompany the video, she shared a clip to her Instagram alongside the selection of candid photos, including the pic of her bare belly.
The image has struck a chord with her fanbase, particularly those with children, with one mum writing on a Reddit forum: "As a mommy, I love the rawness of this picture. The stretched skin, the postpartum tummy, the little extra weight. I just love it."
"For women who have such big platforms, this is the type of content we need from them! I love this so much!" another said.
"I love that she posted this. Normalising normal bodies," a third said, while a fourth added: "She didn't have to share these moments and the fact that she chose to is so generous... Postpartum is hard."
"Showing her vulnerability and relating to other moms... this seems like a huge step for her," a fan pitched in.
"I never thought my belly would look like Kylie Jenner's," another shared poignantly.
Jenner's sisters have previously rushed to lose weight following childbirth. Kourtney Kardashian revealed she collapsed due to weeks of dieting and overexercising after she had her first child, Mason, in 2009.
Although Jenner initially announced that she and Scott had christened their newborn son Wolf Webster, on Monday (local time) she revealed via Instagram that they have since decided to change his name - but have yet to share the new moniker.
