Maren Morris is still proud of her 2019 Playboy cover. The 31-year-old clapped back at critics about the sexy shoot, and responded to trolls via Instagram on Saturday, March 19. “Before I go into the next album era, I did @playboy in 2019 and got a lot of hate at the time, but I’m the proudest that I showed country female sexuality in its realist form here,” she wrote on a caption of one of the black-and-white images from the magazine, shot by Harper Smith.
In the photo, Maren stuns as she wears just a cowboy hat and jeans. “We are nuanced, we are messy and stretch-marked in the most beautiful way,” she penned. “Don’t sleep on us. We tell your down home stories in the most unflinching, gorgeous lane. Don’t forget it,” she also said.
On her Instagram story, Maren shared some of the screenshots of comments she’s received, including one that said to “Please dress appropriate.” The Arlington, Texas native revealed her response that said, “RESPECT 4 MOM BOOBZ.” She the wrote over the story, “I see this kind of comment a lot on country music accounts at me, soooooo GET OVER IT,” before adding, “Letting all the prudes know women in country music own their sexuality too.”
She received plenty of support on photo shared to her feed, including a message from LeAnn Rimes. “I adore this photo! You look stunning! The ones talking s— are only DYING to let this side of themselves out. Expression, not repression,” the GRAMMY winner posted. Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards wrote, “Holy smoke show” while Amanda Kloots left several fire emojis along with, “Wow wow.” Friend Mickey Guyton, who Maren has defended in the past, was also quick to stand up for her friend by dropping three heart emojis.
Maren has previously been outspoken about the shoot, which was announced back in June 2019. “Some can slut-shame me for my lyrics about sex, and you can put me in your little box, but I just want to live and love,” she said almost three years ago. “I recently accepted myself and will put these photos in a frame because I’ll never have this moment back.”