Check out those abs! Maria Kang is a freelance writer/fitness blogger who also happens to be a mother of three cute kids. But you might not have guessed the last point, since her post-pregnancy body is pretty rocking.



Unfortunately, not everyone is glad to see Maria flaunting her abs. It all began when she decided to post the above picture of herself posing with her three children on Facebook, which included the caption: "What's your excuse?"

It didn't take long for the photo to go viral, racking up more than 16 million views and 12,000 comments on Facebook. Among the negative comments include calling Maria "obnoxious," "desperate for fame," and a bully.

Maria has also told Yahoo! Shine that her intent was not to make moms feel bad about their post-pregnancy bodies but to inspire them. However, Maria's abs aren't the main problem here but more on her choice of words for the tagline. As one commenter explains:
I can give you many 'excuses' to why a woman's body does not snap back, or look like yours after having kids. Your comment is not only judgemental it's biasly based on your own specific situation, body type, education, income, etc.... Why would you think that your comment is positive or motivational? Maybe something like - 'You Can!', 'It's Achievable!', 'It's Worth It!', would make more of a statement that appeals to more women without assuming we all are making excuses!
And another:
What's my excuse? Cancer. If you really cared to promote health you wouldn't need to be half naked. You can show health by being dressed. The fact you chose attire such as this is that you were promoting appearance.
Following all the backlash, Maria decided to post the following "apology" which would probably incite even more negative comments:
“I'm sorry you took an image and resonated with it in such a negative way. I won't go into details that I struggled with my genetics, had an eating disorder, work full time owning two businesses, have no nanny, am not naturally skinny and do not work as a personal trainer,” she wrote, in part. “What I WILL say is this. What you interpret is not MY fault. It's yours. The first step in owning your life, your body and your destiny is to OWN the thoughts that come out of your own head. I didn't create them. You created them. So if you want to continue ‘hating’ this image, get used to hating many other things for the rest of your life.”
Do you think she has a point? Are Facebook users overreacting or did Maria's message come across as condescending? Share your thoughts below.

[Shine, Maria Kang's Facebook Page]