Chelsea from ‘Teen Mom 2’ is not here for people commenting on her tween daughter’s body

It shouldn’t have to be said, but here we are: You are never, ever supposed to offer unsolicited comments on anyone’s body. Ever. Especially if that someone is an underage girl with a developing body. Unfortunately, former Teen Mom 2 star Chelsea DeBoer (neé Houska) felt she had to address this very topic in a recent Instagram Q&A.

One fan asked her about her 11-year-old daughter, Aubree, who was the subject of Chelsea’s storyline on 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom 2 for nearly 10 years. Last year, the DeBoer family stepped away from the MTV series to offer Aubree and the rest of the children more privacy from public life.

“Are you surprised by how fast Aubs is growing up?” the fan asked on Instagram. “R u amused to everyone’s reaction to it?”

Chelsea explained that while she totally understands why many fans feel they “know” Aubree and love to watch her grow up, others aren’t as respectful about her pre-teen daughter.

“I did want to answer this because I am amused by everyone’s reaction to it because I know you guys feel like you know Aubree,” she shared. “Someone was like, ‘We’re all her Aunties’ and I thought that was so cute, but I do have one thing that I do not like and it makes me sick honestly is when people comment on her body.”

A few days ago, Chelsea shared a gorgeous mother/daughter photo of her posing with her oldest daughter, and because Aubree isn’t on national television regularly anymore, many fans commented on how she’s growing up.

While a lot of comments are supportive and totally appropriate, Chelsea says there were comments about Aubree’s developing body that made her extremely uncomfortable.

“She’s an 11 almost 12-year-old girl and I don’t know why people feel like they can comment on her body in any way shape or form,” she said. “It makes me not want to post her.”

To be honest, Chelsea would be 100% valid in her decision to stop posting public photos of Aubree. Younger kids don’t have agency when their images and videos are shared on social media. While Chelsea has made it clear that she posts about Aubree only when she has permission from Aubree herself, the flood of comments about how she looks or how “fast” she’s growing up may not be entirely healthy for Aubree to read. And at 11 years old, she can likely access those comments and read them.

In conclusion, please don’t ever comment on anyone’s physical appearance if they didn’t ask you to—especially when it comes to children. And good for Chelsea for standing up for her daughter!