What is it about pregnancy that makes complete strangers think they have the right to police women’s bodies? From nonconsensual bump rubs to unsolicited advice about what to eat, drink, do, and feel; people seem to have forgotten that gestation is not a team sport.

While most advice given to expectant mothers is either well-intentioned or said in jest, there’s still a fine line between being helpful and being a straight-up heathen- and this mama isn’t afraid to call them like she sees them!

Ashlee Baracy, a meteorologist for WBNS-10TV in Ohio, spends a significant portion of her life onscreen, meaning she’s no stranger to digs at her appearance. However, almost immediately after announcing her pregnancy, Baracy says that this joyous occasion was quickly hijacked by cruel comments about her changing body (usually under the guise of faux concern, of course).

In an interview with the Columbus Dispatch, in regards to the extreme body-shaming that she was soon enduring in her daily life, Baracy said that sadly, she was not surprised by the volatile reaction from viewers.

“The sad part is the second I found out I was pregnant, I knew I would have to deal with criticism of my body by viewers. I’ve been around the business long enough, and I’ve seen colleagues go through that. Anchors can hide a little bit behind the desk, but I knew it would be tough for me, because people see me head-to-toe in front of the green screen every day, and my figure would be on full display.”

And sure enough, day after day, the crude comments kept rolling in.

Baracy, however, quickly decided that she wasn’t going to stand for the body-shaming and decided to use her platform to clap back at all the unwarranted criticism that she and millions of other women regularly receive; for you know, perpetuating the human species.

“If I can use my voice to make things better, I will do that, I hope this is a platform where we can talk more about it, because there are many women who deal with it,” Baracy boldly told the Columbus Press

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I chose this career because I believed it would give me a platform to make a difference… as a role model and a meteorologist. I never really considered how many different ways I would be able to make an impact, but hopefully this is one. ‪Thank you, Ken Gordon, for such a wonderful article today in the @columbusdispatch. I was shocked to see it on the front page! I truly appreciate every #10TV viewer who has supported me and encouraged me throughout my pregnancy and let’s hope by shedding light on body-shaming that fewer people will deal with critics like this in the future, pregnant or not. Every time I have called out a hater, the overwhelming outpour of encouragement has been touching and incredibly inspiring. Thank you, Central Ohio.‬ Most importantly, thank you for embracing and caring about my growing family.

A post shared by Ashlee Baracy (@abaracy) on Jul 7, 2019 at 11:21am PDT

Ultimately, Baracy was able to take those lemons of hate, and smash them into some pretty bad-ass lemonade all while giving the world a humble little lesson in Humanity 101. She is now the proud mama of a beautiful baby boy.