Fitness influencer Sophie Guidolin has left the internet divided after sharing a video of herself posing for the camera in a bikini in front of her teenage son.
The Australian bodybuilder was questioned over whether it was age-appropriate for her to be wearing a bedazzled dark red bikini with white polka dots while her son Kai tried to walk past her.
“POV: Your mama is an IFBB [International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation] Bikini Pro,” read the title of Sophie’s video.
Fitness influencer Sophie Guidolin recently posted a video of herself posing in a bikini in front of her son
As she shared the video, she also addressed receiving backlash in the past for wearing a bikini in front of her son.
“lol remember when the media tried to shame me for wearing a bikini in front of my son… forgetting I was an #ifbbbikinipro and I do this as a sport,” she wrote in the caption. “My son doesn’t sexualise my body so why do others. This my friends is 13 years of hard work.”
Like most things on the internet, Sophie’s video received mixed reactions.
“Creepy. I feel sorry for you and your son,” one naysayer said.
Some people thought it wasn’t age-appropriate as one person said: “The last thing I’d want to see is my mom in a thong”
“I promise you it’s weird… the last thing I’d want to see is my mom in a thong.. let alone doing it to post on social media saying how I’m ok with it and all my friends see it.. Creepy,” wrote another.
Most others praised the mother for her hard work, with one calling her “an incredible athlete.”
“You are an incredible athlete. Total respect here!!” one wrote, while another added, “Your son is clearly very inspired by you. Why do people have to make it weird when it’s obviously not.”
“Wait so we can’t wear a bikini to the beach with our sons? Well damn society just sucks then hey haha looking amazing,” read another comment.
Others defended Sophie and said her son must be inspired by the hard work she pours into bodybuilding
Another wrote, “All I can see is hard work and dedication. Your son would be proud.”
Sophie, a 34-year-old mother of four, is the founder of an online health and fitness program called The Bod.
“My journey in health and fitness started in 2012 when I competed in my first ever fitness competition. After winning numerous titles and world rankings, (I know, wank wank) [sic] however, it is important you understand I am dedicated to this! I became committed to developing my own training and nutrition programs that would help women change their lives, achieve their body goals and regain their confidence,” reads Sophie’s website.
“Today THE BOD is helping thousands of women around the globe smash their health and fitness goals and I couldn’t be prouder of my BODBabes.”
Below is the recent video that left the internet divided over Sophie wearing a bikini in front of her son
She also addressed how life can get “super busy” as a mother.
“Being a mama to four kids (I was blessed with twins!), I know life can get super busy, super quick. That’s why over the years I’ve created several recipe books bursting with quick, easy, and nutritious meals that all the family will love. My kids and I love whipping up these recipes in the kitchen and I hope yours will too!” she wrote on her website.
“I am NOT your girl if you are triggered by a bikini, tough love or me living my best life,” she added.
Sophie is a 34-year-old mother of four and the founder of an online health and fitness program called The Bod.
Image credits: sophie_guidolin
Indeed, people have been “triggered” in the past by her photos, especially one where she posed next to her son, hugging him while wearing a green leopard print bikini during his 15th birthday celebration a couple of years ago.
The caption initially said, “Happy 15th Kai,” but Sophie later edited it to send a message to people who had a problem with what she was wearing.
“WE LIVE IN THE GOLD COAST, Australia. Where wearing a bikini to the beach is so beyond normal, that I didn’t even consider having to place a disclaimer on this photo,” she began the post,” she explained. “When Kai woke up, I was in the pool and yes- in a bikini (as I am most days). I wanted a photo straight away as he wanted to ride his bike and go out riding all day immediately.”
The internet slammed her in the past for hugging her teenage son while wearing a leopard print bikini
Gold Coast influencer Sophie Guidolin hits back at trolls who criticised her for taking a ‘sexualised’ photo in a bikini with her teenage son https://t.co/YMZwgQcvYE pic.twitter.com/3p3H8ahsPq
— Tande (@tanndde) April 4, 2022
“Do I have a problem wearing a bikini in front of my sons? NO WAY. Why? Because I’m not sexualized to him, nor have I ever been,” she added. “If you have an issue, maybe you should look into why you feel you have to sexualize a woman’s body instead of it simply being a mum and her son at the pool!”
The fitness star later shared a video of herself and her son having a candid conversation about the reaction people had to the viral picture of them.
The teenager thought it was “dumb” that people were slamming her for wearing a bikini in front of them.
“There’s nothing wrong with the picture. You’re in a bikini 24/7, that’s your job. We’re always at the beach. There’s nothing wrong with it,” Kai said.
“It’s so dumb,” he continued. “There’s no reason for this to be happening. If you go back to when we were in Hamilton Island it’s the exact same thing … (so why now).”
When the bodybuilder mother asked if there was anything “wrong” with the picture, Kai said, “I still don’t get what’s wrong with it.”
Sophie’s son Kai once said in a candid conversation that people criticizing his mother for wearing a bikini in front of him is “dumb”
Sophie then asked the teenager how he felt when she wore a bikini in front of him and hugged him.
“Normal,” he responded.
“I would like to normalize the narrative of our bodies being simply that and it not being sexualized,” Sophie then explained. “There is nothing sexualized about that photo. I would often hug him, cuddle him, snuggle him in bed. I’m very close with the boys, I don’t see anything wrong with that.
“I would really like to use this as a positive to be able to perhaps open up the conversation in your homes as well in relation to how that narrative looks for you and your kids,” she added.
Here’s what people had to say about Sophie’s latest video of posing in a bikini in front of her son
