"The Bachelor" alumnus Bekah Martinez has had enough of the online trolls who target her appearance, particularly her body hair. The 30-year-old reality TV star and social media influencer, who gained fame during Season 22 of ABC's dating series, recently fired back at a commentator who insinuated that her fiancé of three years, Grayston Leonard, must be repelled by her natural body hair. Bekah, who shares her life with over a million followers on social media, seized the moment to open up about her journey with body hair, which began in 2018 when she was pregnant with her first child.
In a powerful Instagram post on Tuesday, Bekah Martinez declared, "I stopped shaving seven years ago, and I still receive comments like this frequently." She added, "For the record, Gray attended a liberal arts college in Oregon, so he's quite familiar with women who opt not to shave."
The host of the "Bekah & Friends" podcast continued, "I wanted my daughter (and any future sons) to understand that body hair on a woman is normal. It's not shameful. It's not gross. I wanted to show that body hair isn't 'masculine,' because I am a woman. Therefore, my body hair is feminine."
Martinez went on to recount the societal pressures she faced growing up, recalling how teachers and coaches would tease her about her dark leg stubble, which made her feel like her body was somehow "wrong." While she admits she still doesn't "love" her body hair and sometimes feels self-conscious in public, she强调s that this discomfort no longer defines her.
"When my daughter Ruth points and says, 'Mom, my legs look like yours' without any shame, it's all worth it," she said.
Martinez's Unforeseen Life After 'The Bachelor'
Martinez shares three children - Ruth, 6, Franklin, 5, and Ernest, 21 months - with Leonard, 35, the founder of Long Beach Rising Climbing Gym. The couple started dating in January 2018 and now leads a self-sustaining lifestyle in Los Angeles, where they raise rabbits for meat and chickens for eggs.
Bekah, who made history as the first contestant with a pixie cut on "The Bachelor," was eliminated seventh by Arie Luyendyk Jr. during his 2018 season. Arie ultimately chose runner-up Lauren Burnham, whom he married in 2019.
Since her reality TV days, Martinez has forged a successful career as an influencer, partnering with brands such as Araza Beauty, Brooklinen, Club Med Cancun, and Osea Malibu.
Bekah Martinez Shares Potty Training Insights
In 2023, Martinez made headlines for revealing that she began potty training her baby, Ernest, at just nine weeks old. In a series of candid Instagram Stories posts, the "Bachelor" alumnus opened up about practicing elimination communication - an early potty training method involving responding to an infant's cues - and how surprisingly effective it had been with her son.
"Also, on the subject of diapers... elimination communication is wild," Martinez wrote, sharing a photo of baby Ernest sitting on a tiny potty while nursing. "I never tried it with the other two kids, but I've sat Ernest on a little potty about a dozen times after he wakes up, and every single time, he pees immediately and usually poops too."
She admitted that she once thought the method was just a coincidence until she tried it herself. "I always thought it was just chance when I heard other people talking about getting their infant to go on a potty," she continued. "But no, I don't know how to explain it, but it's like he knows right away. When I undress him and put the little potty underneath, he starts going."
Fans Weigh In on Early Potty Training
Some followers chimed in with theories, suggesting that the temperature change might trigger the potty response. However, Bekah also acknowledged that the use of diapers might actually delay potty training in the long run.
"We've potty trained the other kids around 22 months because it's our personal goal to have them out of diapers by 2," she added. "But we're very curious to see if Ernest is out of diapers earlier if we keep this up."
Bekah Martinez Reflects on Early Pregnancy Challenges
Martinez, who welcomed her first child just months after starting her relationship with fiancé Grayston Leonard, has always been transparent with her fans.
Following Ernest's birth, she opened up about the struggles of navigating pregnancy so early in a new relationship. "It was so f*cking hard," she recalled during an Instagram Q&A. "I wanted to break up a million times. It sucked. I felt guilty for wanting to end the pregnancy initially. I worried my child's parents would hate each other. But we made it. And we came out stronger than ever."
