Rachel Hollis, a married mother of three, was vacationing in Mexico this weekend when she decided to do something for all the moms out there: pose in her bikini on the beach, proudly flaunting her post-pregnancy body. Hollis, 32, a Los Angeles celebrity party planner and the founder of the lifestyle website The Chic Site, on Saturday shared the snapshot on the Facebook page for her business, accompanied by a strong message of empowerment. ‘I have stretch marks and I wear a bikini. I have a belly that's permanently flabby from carrying three giant babies and I wear a bikini. My belly button is saggy... (which is something I didn't even know was possible before!!) and I wear a bikini,’ she wrote in her brief manifesto. If you got it, flaunt it: Party planner and married mother of three Rachel Hollis, 32, became a viral sensation this weekend after she posted this bold bikini photo showing off her post-pregnancy body . Proud mom: Hollis has three sons, ages 2, 6 and 8, with her husband of 11 years, David (far left) On the run: Hollis said a week before her now-famous beach photo was taken, she had completed her first marathon (left), and she felt that she was at the peak of her form . ‘I wear a bikini because I'm proud of this body and every mark on it. Those marks prove that I was blessed enough to carry my babies and that flabby tummy means I worked hard to lose what weight I could. ‘I wear a bikini because the only man who's opinion matters knows what I went through to look this way. That same man says he's never seen anything sexier than my body, marks and all. ‘They aren't scars ladies, they're stripes and you've earned them. Flaunt that body with pride!' The reaction to Hollis’ inspiring post was almost instant: by Tuesday evening it has drawn more than 341,000 'likes' and more than 10,000 comments, many of them from fellow mothers thanking Hollis for taking a stand against body-shaming and speaking out on their behalf. In an interview with Yahoo Parenting, Hollis explained that she was vacationing with her husband of 11 years, David, in Cancun when she asked him to take a picture of her in a two-piece orange and blue monogrammed swimsuit. When she took a look at the resulting image, Hollis said she noticed the stretch marks on her stomach and released that she has never seen such a candid snapshot on social media. 'So I thought, "I'll just post this for the moms,"' she recalled. No more shame: The 32-year-old married mother of three said she decided to share her bikini photo to give confidence to other moms . Battle of the bulge: The Oklahoma native said she has been struggling with weight her entire life . Family matters: When Hollis became pregnant with her first child, she packed on 45lbs, which she was unable to lose by her second pregnancy . Before long, comments and 'likes' began pouring in, leaving Hollis feeling overwhelmed with support. 'You have no idea of how empowering your words are to someone as myself. I gave birth to my last baby (my third son) 6 months ago. I have many stretch marks... and my confidence has plummeted. Reading this has made me realize how im seeing everything in the wrong way,' wrote Amanda Gongloff, thanking Hollis for helping her regain her lost self-confidence. Amanda Uscanga wrote in a similar vain: 'Thank you for sharing this! Finally another woman who's stomach that looks like mine.' 'Us 50 somethings are proud of our children ( and grandchildren) but ashamed of our bodies. God blessed us to bear children. The media cursed us with untrue body image. We are all beautiful because if Gods grace. My body will be in a bikini. Just bought it yesterday!’ Pam field-Mackle posted. Some of Hollis' followers went a step further, sharing on her page their own bikini snapshots, with stretch marks and all. For his eyes only: The 32-year-old party planner wrote in her Facebook manifesto that the only man whose opinion she cares about is her husband, David, and he thinks she looks sexy . Positive feedback: Hollis' photo has drawn thousands of comments from other moms, some of whom even shared 'imperfect' bikini photos of their own . Third time's the charm: after she gave birth to her third son (pictured), Hollis was finally able to get back to her pre-pregnancy weight through healthy eating and exercise . Nancy Engelhard uploaded a photo of herself in a black two-piece number on the beach, along with a caption that boldly stated: 'This is me! After 2 kids, 1 miscarriage, 7 bladder surgeries, ovarian cancer and a hysterectomy! Love my bikini! A few male commenters also weighed in, among them disabled veteran Mike Vanderveen who revealed that he still wears shorts, even though he had lost his legs in a land mine explosion. 'At least I don't have to worry about snakebites, cold feet, stubbing my toes, twisting my ankles, and buying shoes is a breeze,' he joked, before concluding in all caps: 'IF YOU DON’T LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, LOOK THE OTHER WAY!!!' Hollis responded to the veteran’s message by saying that at age 22, she had a bout with a condition called Bell's Palsy, which left her face paralyzed for two months. Not everyone, however, got on board with her positive body image message, with some users lambasting her for drawing attention to such a relatively minor problem as stretch marks. The mother of three, however, insisted that her critics missed the point of her message. Party girl: Hollis, pictured all dressed up alongside her spouse, launched her party-planning business in LA back in 2004 . Playing dress-up: The Hollis clan on Halloween, channeling an Old West town, with Rachel dressed as a flowering cactus and her youngest son dressed as a tumbleweed . Hollis, the daughter of an Oklahoma Pentecostal minister and a church pianist, said she has been fighting the battle of the bulge her entire life, even before she had her three sons, ages 2, 6 and 8. While she was pregnant with her first child, the 5-foot-2 Hollis packed on 45lbs, and she had not lost that weight by the time she became pregnant with her second son. After giving birth to her youngest, Hollis was finally able to get back to her pre-pregnancy weight through healthy eating and exercise. Hollis revealed to Today Show that the now-famous beach photo was taken a week after she had completed her first marathon and was proud of her new and improved physique. 'It’s never ever going to be like a Victoria’s Secret model, but I think I look good and my husband wants to make out with me, so I’m doing something right,' Hollis concluded.
Rachel Hollis, 32, a party planner from LA, took Internet by storm with her belly-bearing beach photo . Hollis' bikini snapshots taken on Cancun beach has racked up more than 340,000 'likes' on Facebook .