IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

These funny moms get real about bathing suit season

Their message is clear: Have fun this summer, moms.
/ Source: TODAY Contributor

Millions of moms laughed along with Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley recently when the funny moms, who share their hilarious musings on motherhood at I Mom So Hard, posted a video of themselves critiquing this summer's trending bathing suit styles.

Since it was posted, the video, which shows Hensley and Smedley talking about the struggles of going to the beach in a bathing suit and trying on multiple skimpy styles for the camera, has been viewed over 22 million times.

But the California moms say there's a deeper message in their video — that moms need to embrace their bodies and have fun with their kids this summer.

"The most important thing is that I have fun with my kids," Hensley told TODAY Parents. "So if my suit's going up my butt, there's nothing I can do about it. I'm going to build a moat. I'm going to build a sandcastle. And, if you don't like what you're looking at, look the other way."

Hensley admitted she often feels self-conscious about her body, recalling a time when her daughter overheard her making negative remarks about her appearance.

"I saw my daughter's reaction and it was almost like I offended her because she thinks I'm perfect and then, all of a sudden, I said something to tell her I'm not," said Hensley. "But if she thinks I think I'm not perfect, she's going to think I think she's not perfect — and I think she's flawless."

Never miss a parenting story on TODAY.com! Sign up for our newsletter here.

From that moment on, Hensley vowed to try to say good things about her body, and although her self-love journey is still a work in progress, her recent viral video helped her realize an important fact about summer.

Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley say they hope their funny bathing suit video will send a bigger message of self-love to moms who watch it.
Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley say they hope their funny bathing suit video will send a bigger message of self-love to moms who watch it.JOANNA DEGENERES PHOTOGRAPHY / I Mom So Hard/Joanna DeGeneres Photography

"My body is healthy," said Hensley. "I'm healthy and I have no reason but to put on a damn swimsuit and go to the beach and have a lot of fun."

Before filming the video, Smedley says the pair went to three stores, picking up various styles for the video shoot.

"They were all kind of absurd and honestly, out of all of the suits, there was only one that I thought I'd actually wear," Smedley recalled. "The rest of them were for like — a really tall teenaged marathon runner or something."

Still, the funny duo says their message is not about criticizing women who are fit, or any other body type.

"We're high-fiving everybody," said Hensley. "For me, personally, I'm just saying I'm going to give myself a break and just show up — even if I feel like everybody else there does the barre method eight hours a day. I do a different kind of bar method."

"It's not about being perfect — or even about perfect being the end goal," said Smedley. "It's just about loving yourself and giving yourself a break and being nice to yourself wherever you're at."

This story was originally published in 2017 and has been updated.