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A former Miss Universe Australia model has lashed out at a certain group of people who seemed to think it's appropriate to tell her what to do with her own womb.
Yep, that's right. People on the Internet flooded a recent online Q&A with Maria Thattil, with one follower asking about her stance on having kids.
The 29-year-old model wrote a column for Stellar to chat about what happened thereafter.
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"When I said no, they asked why. After opting to share my choice, I was met with an overwhelmingly positive response," Thattil said.
"Around 90 per cent of people resonated with or respected it. 10 per cent had other ideas."
Such comments included: "Glad she likes dogs, because I suspect that is all the company she will have in [her] latter years."
Another person implied her choice not to have children means that she didn’t value her own 'legacy'.
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Another told Thattil her 'biological clock is ticking'.
Just a reminder people: it is never, ever acceptable to comment on a woman's womb or 'biological clock'. Ever.
One person actually thought it was appropriate to tell the international model that she was getting 'older and less desirable with less options'.
Yep. Someone who was likely commenting from their phone, on their couch, and wearing trackies covered in potato chip crumbs, thought that was an okay comment to make about her value to others.
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Well, in her column, the former Miss Universe model clapped back at the strangers who tried to dictate her life.
Thattil wrote: "Are we really still talking to women as though the entire point of our existence is to follow a baby-making blueprint?"
She added: "A blueprint that harms not only those who choose not to have children, but also those who, for many reasons, can’t - treating them like second-class citizens for not ticking a box?"
The Australian model said she had shared her child-free stance in the hope of sparking a healthy discourse.
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"It’s not just OK to not aspire to parenthood – it is your human right," the 29-year-old wrote.
"Little girls grow into young women who are constantly asked when they’re getting married. Married women are constantly asked when they’re having babies.
"New parents are constantly asked when they’re having the next one."
Thattil made her point clear: women aren't baby making machines.
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It's not her duty as a woman to have a child, nor is it any other woman's. Her expiry date is not looming.
So we'll say it louder for those who may have missed it in the back: other people's wombs and bodies aren't yours to comment on.
Got it? Good.
Featured Image Credit: mariathattil/Instagram.Topics: Australia, News, Parenting, Social Media, Sex and Relationships