What does it mean to have a "flat" belly? If you listen to a good chunk of women's magazines or fitness media, all it really means is that you're thin and maybe you have some abs.
But one body positive Instagrammer would like to remind us of the true meaning of the word "flat." Kate Nolan, who uses the Instagram handle @kateshappinessjourney, posted several photos of her belly to the platform, some in which she's relaxed and her belly is pushed out, and some in which she is sucking her stomach in.
"By definition, a flat surface is one without raised areas or indentations," she wrote. "So, when I'm sat down, if I let everything go, my belly is fuller, there aren't rolls and the surface is smooth, actually quite flat. When I suck in, which we are always expected to do, I get rolls, my tummy is bumpy and it's the opposite of flat."
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"So why exactly are we striving for a flat tummy? Saying we need a flat tummy is just another way of saying 'don't be fat,'" she continued. "But when I look my fattest, my tummy is flattest."
It's a brilliant argument, and completely accurate given the dictionary definition of "flat." Still, recognizing that both plus size women and thin women can have flat bellies doesn't remedy the fact that we're under so much pressure for our bodies to look a certain way — and lumpy tummies are just as beautiful as flat ones.
"Your worth is not dictated by your body, and certainly not by the contours of your abdomen," Nolan wrote in her post. "Honey, my gorgeous tummy is flat AND fat!"