Britnee Kent Proudly Bares Her Stretch Marks in Bikinis

The Hawaii-based mother of two and fitness and lifestyle influencer tells Evereden how she learned to accept her stretch marks as part of her pregnancy story.

Welcome to the island life! Your host, Britnee Kent, fitness extraordinaire and mom of two (Krew, age 2, and Banks, three months old) welcomes you to the north shore of Oahu — probably with a green smoothie in her hand and perfectly-tousled hair thanks to sea water. It would be cliché to start talking about how “chill” Britnee appears to be, and one may wonder whether it is nature or nurture: Did living by the beach make Britnee the cool yet approachable wellness advocate that she is today, or was she just born this way? Perhaps a more nuanced view of Britnee would involve a look at her well-rounded, best-selling wellness routines featuring seven days of workouts, sample meal plans, complete grocery lists, and full recipes. Contrary to popular belief, she thrives off routine and planning — which is why the unexpected nature of pregnancy threw her off course at first.

“I actually gained quite a bit of weight during my first pregnancy, and it was really hard for me, being a lover of fitness,” she explains. “It was really hard for me to grasp my new reality. It took me a long time to get back to what I thought my body should look like.” During her second pregnancy, she allowed herself more grace. “I was taking it as it goes, and not stressing so much about getting back to how I looked before,” she says. “I realized, it takes nine months to grow a baby — and at least 10 months to recover.” 

The mental transformation was just as profound as the physical change. “It’s been really freeing to just do what feels right for my body,” she notes. That included workouts during both pregnancies, though by the second time around, she had a better idea of what moves were safe for prenatal workouts, and created second- and third-trimester workout guides that each feature 14 weeks of workouts, including breathing exercises designed to help strengthen pelvic floor, back, and core.

Britnee found first trimester to be especially tough on her body. “I just felt so sick and I got a lot of pregnancy acne,” she says. She used lotions to hydrate belly during her first pregnancy, but she ended up with stretch marks anyway. “The second pregnancy was actually harder for me, in a way, because the stretch marks were already there from the first pregnancy,” she explains. “When your body starts growing again, the stretch marks are really obvious — you’re stretching out something that’s already there, so they’re even more prominent!” Despite living right next to surf waves, she — at first — refused to wear a bikini as the stretch marks grew and grew.

Britnee found healing through her faith, which she is very open about on social media. “I've always been a spiritual person,” she says. “I’ve found a lot of confidence through God —  but my healing is a work in progress. I still look in the mirror and get frustrated.” Having grown up playing sports with a strong foundation in her faith, Britnee always considered herself a very confident person. Motherhood wavered her personal resolve. “Especially with new babies, it's hard to feel confident when you don’t know what you’re doing," she says.

When she launched her fitness-oriented social media channels four years ago, she was not pregnant yet. At first, her audience consisted mainly of single, college-aged girls who were interested in Britnee’s life because she had just gotten married. They were looking towards the road ahead. Now, her community consists of many young moms with young kids — aka Britnee’s peers — who are interested in her kids, her relationship with her husband Connor, and her gorgeous life in Hawaii. (Britnee is an Utah native, so the wonders are not lost on her either.)  “It’s so sensory in Hawaii: There’s the sand, the water, the little animals,” she says. “It’s so fun for the kids.”

After talking to other women in her community on Instagram and TikTok, she realized that she wasn’t the only woman with stretch marks, and that the only person who noticed her marks was probably herself. “There are a lot of really beautiful, confident women who live here on the north shore, and they just rock their body and don't care,” she explains. “I realized stretch marks are part of your pregnancy story and journey. It doesn’t have to be a negative. They are, after all, how I have two beautiful boys.” During her second pregnancy, she began using Evereden Golden Belly Serum and Nourishing Stretch Mark Cream. “I knew I could trust these products because Evereden also makes products for kids.” Her kids, in fact, began using the Nourishing Baby Face Cream and Baby Moisturizing Lotion Fragrance Free. "Over the last few years, I've realized that what you put onto your body is as important as what you put into your body," she says.