A pregnant weather presenter has given the "haters" who sent her "body shaming" messages a lesson in manners.
Meteorologist Katie Fehlinger is 35 weeks pregnant with twin girls and she didn't appreciate being sent messages telling her she looked like a "sausage in casing" after an appearance on American TV channel CBS 3.
In a blog post on The Huffington Post, Fehlinger wrote: "So, the nature of my job makes me an easy target for criticism. I will always understand that, and I will most typically just ignore it.
"However, after someone blatantly called me a 'sausage in casing' and another declared that 'sticking your pregnant abdomen out like that is disgusting,' I felt a need to draw a line and speak up.
"Everyone's right to their opinion is important, but so are manners."
"And while rude comments like these will never make me feel the need to change anything about myself, I find a bigger underlying issue here," Fehlinger continued.
"These particular nasty-grams were directed at a pregnant woman."
Fehlinger also used the opportunity to send out a heartfelt message to all pregnant women. One which she hoped would bolster their self-esteem at a time when their bodies are undergoing immense changes.
"You are beautiful," she wrote.
"Even during the most uncomfortable - and let's face it, less than glamorous - symptoms of pregnancy, what women go through to bring their precious children into the world is, simply put, AMAZING, and you should be lauded."
She ended her blog with a triumphant call to action: "I say let's raise a Shirley Temple to swollen feet, stretch marks, nausea, all the extra pounds and the dark circles!
"They're badges of motherhood. And for those of you who think that's 'disgusting,' remember a woman went through the very same thing to bring YOU into the world.
"In the meantime, let's all remember the lesson Mum taught us: If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all."
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Fehlinger also put out a request on Twitter for mums to share pics of their baby bumps with her.
And she has been inundated with tweets from mothers sharing pictures of their own bumps in solidarity.
