{"id":609195,"date":"2026-08-30T11:52:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T11:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/609195\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T11:52:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T11:52:48","slug":"niamh-de-brun-addresses-backlash-over-glam-postpartum-photo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/609195\/","title":{"rendered":"Niamh de Br\u00fan addresses backlash over glam postpartum photo"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019d think that of all the film quotes, a classic from Mean Girls would be universally known, but alas, Niamh de Br\u00fan found out the hard way that that\u2019s not always the case.<\/p>\n

Four years ago, when she was a new mum to her daughter Harper, Niamh posted a glam snap of herself and her newborn<\/a> at a wedding alongside the words: \u2018I\u2019m not a regular mom, I\u2019m a cool mom.\u2019<\/p>\n

Moments later, the comments from outraged middle-aged women started rolling in, with many aghast that this freshly postpartum mum would be getting glammed up less than three weeks after giving birth.<\/p>\n

\"NiamhNiamh de Brun and TJ Reid. Pic: Niamh de Brun \/ Instagram<\/p>\n

Luckily, looking back, Niamh can laugh, but at the time, she was affected by the backlash, admitting she even considered not continuing to celebrate at her pal\u2019s wedding because of the comments.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the photo in a TikTok, Niamh said: \u2018I wasn’t sick on my first pregnancy. I just found it really hard, the changes in my body, the restriction, just my body not being my own and all of the things that come with having another human growing inside of you.<\/p>\n

\u2018At this wedding, I’ve been looking forward to it for ages because I was like, \u201cI won’t be pregnant. I’ll be able to have a drink. I’ll be able to get my hair and makeup done and feel somewhat glam\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"NiamhNiamh de Br\u00fan and her daughter Harper as a newborn. Pic: Niamh de Br\u00fan \/ Instagram<\/p>\n

Niamh posted her photo with the Mean Girls quote in the caption, and watched as the comments started coming in.<\/p>\n

She said: \u2018The outrage I got from middle-aged women on this, it wasn’t even off fake profiles, it was off their actual profiles, being like, \u201cyou think you’re better than everybody else? What makes you a cool mom and others not cool moms?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018I was just quoting Mean Girls and a lot of these women got really worked up over it.\u2019<\/p>\n

In the moment, she was worried: \u2018I obviously kind of like panicked a bit; I changed the caption. I very nearly didn’t go down to the meal after posting this photo because we had a room upstairs in the hotel.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Pic:Pic: Niamh De Brun\/Instagram<\/p>\n

Now though, Niamh, who has since also welcomed a son<\/a>, knows she wouldn\u2019t react in the same way. She continued: \u2018Insight is a funny thing. When I look back at that now, I laugh that I let it get to me and I changed the caption.<\/p>\n

\u2018From going to therapy, and I have an incredible therapist in Kilkenny, [who has] really gotten me to understand that when people do things like that, they are projecting something from inside\u2026<\/p>\n

@niamhdebrun<\/a> Story time \ud83d\ude05 #postpartumjourney<\/a> #mindset<\/a> #wellbeing<\/a> #fyp<\/a> #newborn<\/a> \u266c original sound – Niamh de Br\u00fan-Reid<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u2018I don’t know, maybe these women commenting underneath it, maybe after their kids, they weren’t able or didn’t want to go out 19 days afterwards, which is fine. Every postpartum is so, so different.<\/p>\n

\u2018Anyways, the moral of this TikTok is you do whatever makes you feel good, and if somebody is commenting something like that, it is coming from inside them.’<\/p>\n