The INSIDER Summary:

• A man's viral social media post about his wife's body is making waves after many took issue with it. 
• People on Twitter slammed the post for being self-congratulatory and trying to pass as "revolutionary." 
• Though we initially wrote about the post in a positive light, a lot of things did concern us about it. 

A few days ago, a San Francisco man's Instagram post about his wife's "curvy body"went viral for what many saw as a body positive message, but today many are not so sure that his post was as empowering as many think. 

Activist and author Robbie Tripp wrote a lengthy Instagram caption on a photo of himself and his wife Sarah Tripp  cuddled up on the beach. In the post, Robbie praises Sarah's "curvy" body and laments all of his friends and the "basic bros" who would not find her and other women of her size attractive. 

 Here's the full caption:

"I love this woman and her curvy body. As a teenager, I was often teased by my friends for my attraction to girls on the thicker side, ones who were shorter and curvier, girls that the average (basic) bro might refer to as "chubby" or even "fat." Then, as I became a man and started to educate myself on issues such as feminism and how the media marginalizes women by portraying a very narrow and very specific standard of beauty (thin, tall, lean) I realized how many men have bought into that lie. For me, there is nothing sexier than this woman right here: thick thighs, big booty, cute little side roll, etc. Her shape and size won't be the one featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan but it's the one featured in my life and in my heart. There's nothing sexier to me than a woman who is both curvy and confident; this gorgeous girl I married fills out every inch of her jeans and is still the most beautiful one in the room. Guys, rethink what society has told you that you should desire. A real woman is not a porn star or a bikini mannequin or a movie character. She's real. She has beautiful stretch marks on her hips and cute little dimples on her booty. Girls, don't ever fool yourself by thinking you have to fit a certain mold to be loved and appreciated. There is a guy out there who is going to celebrate you for exactly who you are, someone who will love you like I love my Sarah. "

Many publications (including INSIDER) praised Tripp for his messaging, in which he calls out the media for not portraying women of diverse sizes and praises her body for things that women are often shamed for (stretch marks, dimples, etc.). 

After the post went viral, though, Twitter users and body positivity activists took issue with Robbie's post, saying that he should not get a cookie for loving his beautiful wife who happens to be "curvy."

 It's worth noting that Sarah Tripp wrote a response to the initial praise on her own Instagram post. 

"Feeling so incredibly blessed and still in a bit of shock with the craziness of @tripp's post going absolutely viral!" she wrote. "We've received countless messages, emails, and friend requests, and it's been amazing to see so much love & body positivity! Hands down the best part is seeing people tag their significant other saying how much they can relate to the post and how thankful they are to have someone who loves them for who they are. There's still a lot of good in the world, and we are determined to continue to spread it as much as we can. Thank you so much to everyone for your love and support!"

Obviously, the person's whose opinion matters the most about her husband's words is Sarah's, but needless to say his post struck a chord with many, including me. While we initially wrote about the post in a positive light due to all of the praise and comments it was getting, the post didn't sit right for a few reasons. I made brief mention of this my previous post, noting that no one should ever place their love of their body or their self-worth on the praise of their partner. 

People who identify as women are constantly scrutinized for the way their bodies look, so when posts like these come out it's often a breath of fresh air to see a body type other than "thin and tall" being praised as beautiful. But as so many have noted, Robbie's post contained a lot of things that made a lot of people uncomfortable. 

For one, he calls his wife a "real" woman who is "not a porn star or a bikini mannequin or a movie character."Despite what Robbie might think, all people who identify as women are "real" women deserving of love and attraction without strings attached— even the porn stars among us.  

There are lots of people who find women who look like Sarah beautiful, so it's not OK to frame her body like something that other men would inherently find unattractive. If you love her and her body, then great! But finding a beautiful woman — not to one who has already gained fame on social media as a style blogger— is not a revolutionary or feminist act in and of itself. 

Any woman, especially those of us who Robbie would call "curvy," deals with enough scrutiny about our bodies on a daily basis. To have your partner's love of your body qualified with a bunch of reasons why other men would not find it attractive is not really many's idea of a romantic gesture. 

Everyone should be heaping praise on their partners and showing love for their bodies — and if you choose to do that on social media, so be it. But don't be surprised if you find that people are quick to show you that compliments about women's bodies don't need to come as back-handed. 

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