A Brisbane-based influencer sparked outrage on Thursday when she revealed the real reason she doesn’t want to have children.
Karina Irby, 34, who owns swimsuit company Moana Swim, took to Instagram with a lengthy post saying that having kids would take more from her life than she’s willing to give.
While she received an influx of support from her 1.1million followers, others in the comments were outraged by the body-positive influencer’s reasoning.
The backlash began when Karina uploaded several selfies of herself enjoying life, alongside messages she had received from fans who asked why she doesn’t want children.
Karina then went on to explain: ‘I know I’d be a fantastic mother, but the thought of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and having a healthy baby terrifies me.
‘I fear I’d lose myself—my identity—and eventually resent my child. Raising a child in a world plagued by global warming, endless wars, and rising costs feels selfish to me.’
Brisbane-based influencer Karina Irby, 34, (pictured) sparked outrage on Thursday when she revealed the real reason she doesn’t want to have children
Karina went on to say she also fears having a child who may one day grow up to not like or respect her.
She added she ‘wouldn’t be able to run my companies anymore—something I love and have worked so hard for’, and ‘fears’ she would ‘regret the loss of my freedom’.
‘People tell me I’m missing out on the greatest gift in life, but having children would, in fact, take away my greatest gift in life’.
While most of Karina’s fans flocked to the comments to support her decision to live child-free and the reasons she gave, others weren’t so forgiving.
‘I’m sorry. But HAHAHAHAHA,’ one critic put simply, while another said: ‘The ego on this chick.’
A third wrote: ‘Oh… global warming… then, why are you at a beach?’
‘Can I ask who are you building your wealth for if you don’t plan on passing it down to your children? It’s invasive but it just doesn’t make sense to me,’ another questioned.
Someone else pointed out that Karina was allowing her life to be dictated by ‘fear’.
Karina, who owns swimwear company Moana Swim, took to Instagram with a lengthy post saying that having kids would take more from her life than she’s willing to give
‘Imagine living your life out of fear and negative “imagine” scenarios instead if positivity. You CAN still have a successful career or business AND be a mum,’ they said.
They added: ‘Your business is also good enough where you can hire someone to do your work while you just chill too. It doesn’t always need to be so extreme.’
Another follower took offence to Karina saying it was ‘selfish’ to raise children in modern times.
‘To intentionally say that having a child in today’s world is selfish… that is offensive, no matter if you meant it that way or not,’ they said.
‘For some people their only happiness in this world is their children. I’m glad you’re self aware enough to not want them, but to be unintentionally called selfish bc I chose to have children, 3 souls I love more than I could ever love myself, is insanely hurtful.
‘Not to mention the parents who want nothing more than to have a baby and may struggle with fertility. If you don’t want kids, then you just don’t want them, and that is completely fine. You don’t have to explain why.’
It comes just weeks after Karina hit back at online trolls who criticised her decision to remain child-free, as she admitted she’d ‘regret’ having children.
Karina addressed her followers’ concerns during a recent Q&A on her Instagram page.
While she received an influx of support from her 1.1million followers, others in the comments were outraged by the body-positive influencer’s reasoning
In the Q&A, she was aptly quizzed: ‘Do you plan on having kids?’ to which Karina responded with a snap of her and her husband, adding: ‘Nope. Children by choice couple over here.’
The response appeared to anger a number of critics, with one person writing: ‘You will retrete [sic] this decision if you don’t have kids.’
However, Karina stood her ground, and, while correcting the critic’s spelling, fired back: ‘Regret* How can you be so sure I’ll regret it? You don’t know me or my husband? I’d regret having them.’
The content creator and her husband, Ryan, have been vocal about their decision to remain child-free, explaining that they’re simply happier without kids.
Despite the push-back, the influencer remains firm in her decision, encouraging her followers to consider that personal choices—especially around family and reproduction—are private matters.
