Maci Mugele, a new mom just trying to live her life and post a cute video of her very healthy, huge 4-month-old son, Gunner. It quickly drew the ire of the faux outrage sectors of the internet.
Her short clip, which casually noted that Gunner is clocking in at 22.5 pounds, placing him in the 100th percentile for weight, went viral, garnering over 2 million likes and nearly 20,000 comments. And because this is the internet, a lot of them were belligerent.
The digital judgment poured in. Some commenters went full troll mode, accusing her of child abuse and asking if her son “ate the other babies.” One even floated the idea of having her arrested for feeding her kid too much. There’s no better way to express your concern over an overweight baby than publicly shaming a mom with zero medical context.
“I thought that people would think it was cute,” Mugele said in an interview. “But I didn’t realize how horrible people can be.”
This Big Baby Just Broke the Internet
To be clear: Gunner’s pediatricians are not concerned. Mugele explains that her son has always had a hearty appetite, starting on the second day in the hospital. He was born hefty (8 pounds, 19 inches) and kept on that trajectory. He’s proportionate, healthy, and just a big boy. “Sometimes people just have big babies,” she explained.
Despite the vitriol, there was a silver lining. Plenty of commenters showed up to defend the mom, flooding her with praise like, “OMG he’s PERFECT!!!” and “Everyone loves a chunky baby.” Because they do.
Mugele’s story is a reminder that the internet will always find something to hate. While she probably should have anticipated the Internet acting like a bunch of rowdy, rude assholes, it doesn’t excuse any of that. People should be better. They’re not. And likely won’t be for quite a while.
Still, maybe think twice before you body shame a literal infant.
The post A Mom Posted a Video of Her Large Baby Online. The Internet Went Nuts. appeared first on VICE.
