The Skinny Confidential founder Lauryn Bosstick has been raising eyebrows on social media for her controversial comments about fertility.
“I came out and said I got pregnant with all three of my kids on my first try,” Bosstick declared to guest Shannon Ford Middleton during a May 22 episode of “The Skinny Confidential Him & Her” podcast. (Lauryn shares daughter Zaza, 4, and son Townes, 2, with husband Michael Bosstick, with whom she cohosts the podcast. She is currently pregnant with their third baby.)
She continued, “And the reason I said that is not to rub it in people’s face. It’s to tell you that these stories exist. No one wants to talk about it because everyone’s f***ing scared to say that because they’re scared they’re gonna trigger someone.”
Following the comments, numerous women have written open letters to Lauryn. Scroll down as Us Weekly explains the controversy:
Related: Stars Who Struggled to Conceive Children Share Their Fertility Issues
It has been a difficult road to parenthood for many celebrity parents, including Chrissy Teigen and John Legend. After in vitro fertilization didn’t work on the first try, Teigen wondered if she had done something wrong. “You just look for anything to blame, especially yourself,” Teigen explained to New York Magazine’s The Cut in April […]
The Key Players
Lauryn rose to fame in 2011 as The Skinny Confidential founder before launching her podcast with Michael.
The Gist
Lauryn noted on the podcast that there’s a “problem” with being afraid to share positive news about fertility online.
She continued, “If no one talks about it, and no one shares all the good stories, and no one says all the amazing stories …. If no one talks about that, because everyone’s so scared of offending someone and hurting someone’s feelings, all we’re going to get fed is …”
Middleton chimed in to add, “the negativity,” to which Lauryn replied, “It’s fearful experiences.”
“The reason I decided to come out and say that is because I want a 22-year-old who’s listening—who doesn’t wanna get pregnant until she’s 34 — to hear me talk about that and be like, ‘OK I don’t need to worry I don’t need to think about a miscarriage the second I get pregnant,’” Lauryn said.
Why It’s a Big Deal
The comments sparked several creators to write open letters to Lauryn, explaining why her remarks were hurtful to people experiencing infertility.
“I want to urge you to have some empathy for a heartbreaking and extremely taxing situation that you very luckily did not have to experience,” one user said in a TikTok video.
While several users appreciated the content creator’s vulnerability, one pointed out that they understood where Lauryn was coming from.
“I agree her delivery was off, but I think her intent was to relay that it’s OK to talk about joyful pregnancy experiences as well as harrowing,” a user commented on the video. “I don’t necessarily agree that those happy stories aren’t shared, but I think that was the intent. So very sorry for your loss.”
What People Are Saying
The View cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin addressed Bosstick’s claims while appearing on an episode of the “Behind the Table” podcast.
“I don’t know a woman my age who’s dealt with fertility issues that felt like there was nearly enough conversation about how hard it is, about how brutal the process is, about the stats around how many women are going to struggle,” Farah Griffin said, per a clip shared via TikTok.
Farah Griffin noted that she’s currently in “constant discomfort” because of giving herself progesterone injections. “I’ve been let down so many times and I’m 35 and I’m privileged in that I could afford to do five cycles of IVF,” she said.
What’s Next
The podcast has since released several episodes, but it does not appear that Lauryn has directly responded to the upset listeners. Us Weekly reached out to Lauryn for comment.
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