Australian fitness influencer Steph Claire Smith sparked controversy after posting a TikTok video of herself in a bikini while retrieving her son’s goggles from a pool. After some people said her swimwear was inappropriate, the 30-year-old, who is pregnant with her second child, addressed the backlash. She consequently highlighted the societal pressure on mothers to conform to rigid standards.
Highlights
- Steph Claire Smith faces backlash for a bikini video with her son.
- She defends herself, highlighting societal pressure on mothers.
- Steph emphasizes comfort and confidence in her skin.
Taking to her TikTok page earlier this month, Steph shared a video in which she could be seen jumping into her family pool to retrieve her three-year-old Harvey’s goggles, which had fallen into the deep end.
In the video, which has since amassed 1.2 million views, Steph, who is 16 weeks pregnant with her second child, wore a black two-piece bikini with a revealing bottom.
The seemingly innocent clip ignited divided reactions, with some more perverted than others, as a TikTok user questioned: “Sorry, what was this video about?”
Australian fitness influencer Steph Claire Smith sparked controversy
Image credits: stephclairesmith
A person wrote: “10/10 view.”
Someone else penned: “Can you rescue more stuff from the pool.”
“Naur have some self-respect,” a netizen commented.
Image credits: stephclairesmith
An observer noted: “What a view.”
Steph, who is the co-founder of Australian fitness app Kic and the co-host of the Kic Podcast, told News.com.au on Saturday (December 7): “When I watched it back, sure, I noticed my bum was a little on show.
She posted a TikTok video of herself in a bikini while retrieving her son’s goggles from a pool
Image credits: stephclairesmith
“But as someone who started out as a lingerie and bikini model, and who has posted her body online for 13 years now, I didn’t really think twice about it nor did I think it would get some of the backlash that it has.
“I ignored the sexualized comments from men, but the comments that made me frustrated were the comments from any gender mentioning that what I was wearing was ‘inappropriate around a child.’
“I accept people have the right to their own opinion, but it doesn’t mean that opinions always need to be shared.”
Image credits: steph_claire_smith
Steph reportedly found that, since welcoming Harvey with her husband Josh Miller, she has experienced a shift in attitudes toward her.
In a follow-up video on TikTok, Steph continued to address the criticism, defending the “cute” conversation she was having with Harvey by the pool.
She further explained: “Yes, I'm in a bikini, yes, you can see my butt for a lot of the video because the video was from behind.
After some people said her swimwear was inappropriate, the 30-year-old, who is pregnant with her second child, addressed the backlash
Image credits: steph_claire_smith
“Was I aware that my butt was gonna be on show? Yeah I set up the camera, but it wasn't like ‘Oh I'm gonna set it up on this angle so that my butt is at this perfect angle,’ and like always on, it wasn't like that.
“I've set it up cause I knew I was about to jump in and knew there was likely to be some sort of conversation about his goggles, and I thought it was gonna be cute.”
The soon-to-be mom-of-two went on to explain that her initial video was meant to share a sweet interaction with her son, filmed during a hot day when she felt comfortable wearing a bikini.
The influencer reflected on societal pressures faced by mothers and women to conform to specific standards of "appropriateness," calling such judgments unfounded.
As a content creator and former model accustomed to sharing swimwear and lingerie content, Steph emphasized staying true to her comfort and confidence, despite external criticism.
She concluded: “I'm very comfortable in my skin and very comfortable in a bikini, so I didn't think twice about having my butt on the internet.”
Steph subsequently uploaded another video of herself on TikTok in which she flaunted her baby bump in a bikini.
Steph consequently highlighted the societal pressure on mothers to conform to rigid standards
Image credits: stephclairesmith
In the clip, the content creator danced to the lyrics of Lily Allen's 2009 hit, F*** You. She captioned the video: “Mums Should Cover Up.”
“I’ve spoken to so many mums about this… With the change in your lifestyle and your body at times, it’s easy to lose touch with your past self,” Steph told News.com.au.
She added: “For me, at times that’s meant not feeling sexy anymore. But when I really thought about why that was, it was because society has set this expectation for what it looks like to be a ‘good mom.’"
“There are ‘rules’ in the back of our heads making us believe what’s ’appropriate’ for ‘moms’ to wear – which can lead to losing confidence in ourselves and our identities.”
Despite the backlash for her choice in swimwear, Steph reportedly said that she has “always felt more comfortable and confident in bikinis.”
She revealed: “So I refuse to let that rule of ‘having to cover up now because I’m a mum’ dictate what I wear and how I feel in it anymore.”
Steph is the co-founder of Australian fitness app Kic and the co-host of the Kic Podcast
Image credits: stephclairesmith
Steph’s bikini controversy comes after she claimed she lost Instagram followers after announcing she has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], The Daily Mail reported on Thursday (December 5).
She reportedly revealed on Stellar's Something To Talk About podcast she noticed a “massive spike” in unfollows the day she revealed her ADHD diagnosis.
The model said: “It's a horrible sentiment online with ADHD over the last couple of years because a lot of people are coming out with this diagnosis."
Image credits: stephclairesmith
“People think it is this trend and they're sick of hearing about it so I was very aware of that and it was one of the things that made me very nervous about sharing it.”
ADHD diagnoses have been booming, leading to increased demands for tests and prescription medications across various public health sectors.
From this surge, a troubling gender bias has emerged, as female patients often endure delayed diagnoses, revealing systemic disparities in recognizing ADHD in women, Bored Panda previously reported.
ADHD is a condition that affects people’s behavior. People with ADHD can seem restless, may have trouble concentrating, and may act on impulse.
Steph's initial TikTok video with her son continued to draw divided comments
