If the inability to throw a decent pitch on a baseball diamond is political suicide for male leaders, the flip side to this reality, when a female public figure is involved, is the inability to hold a baby “properly.”

For proof look no further than the nasty treatment levelled at new mom Meghan Markle this week, after photos emerged online of the Duchess holding baby Archie in such a way that appears uncomfortable for both mother and infant.

The photos, taken at a charity polo match in which royal brothers William and Harry participated, paint an awkward picture: Markle is holding baby Archie to her chest like a misshapen parcel that is determined to slip out of her hands.

However, there is most likely, a very obvious explanation for this image — and anyone of good faith who has held a baby before can probably guess what it is.

Markle was probably in the middle of changing Archie’s position when the photos were taken, a manoeuvre that is almost always awkward no matter how well behaved the baby in question, or how experienced the care-giver.

That said, even if Markle was holding Archie awkwardly for a prolonged period of time — who cares? His head was supported. No one was in danger. No one is perfect. And besides, the double standard at play is outrageous. If it had been Harry, not Meghan, photographed holding Archie in any position, good or bad, he’d be drowning in praise.

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But mobs of self-righteous moms on the internet aren’t usually interested in seeking out nuance and truth. They are out for blood.

A few choice examples of said bloodlust: “Meghan likes the press today of her and the baby ... always looking for attention,” wrote one Twitter user. “But she doesn’t know how to hold the poor thing.”

And another: “She can’t have any maternal instincts at all. Archie’s neck and whole body not supported by her at all. No sun hat to protect him.”

And yet, another: “Smother, I mean, Mother of the Year award goes to Meghan Markle! Archie looks so uncomfortable. Poor kid.”

Poor mom.

Markle is no stranger to outsized criticism — whether it’s in response to her wearing jeans to a tennis match, touching her pregnant belly in public, or closing her own car door.

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But this brand of disapproval is crueller than average as it zeroes in not on the Duchess’ fashion choices or her failure to follow bizarre, antiquated protocol, but on her ability to care for the person she presumably loves more than anything in the world. This time it’s personal.

But it’s also completely wrong-headed.

Markle isn’t the subpar parent here. If anything, it’s far more likely that her detractors need to brush up on their child rearing.

After all, if their idea of a good time involves assuming the worst of other people and shaming them on the internet, it’s reasonable to wonder how Markle’s critics treat the people closest to them, in real life. It’s reasonable to wonder how they treat their own kids.

Moms judging other moms on the internet isn’t a new phenomenon. So called “mommy blogs” are practically as old as the internet itself. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that new moms were some of the first online trolls.

But what does feel new in this moment, is the virtual presence of parents who are sick of the internet shame spiral; parents who have turned out to shame the shamers.

For example, it was heartening this week, to witness self-described mothers come to Markle’s rescue on social media, making clear that the Duchess is doing nothing wrong in the aforementioned photos, and that perfection is impossible in any pursuit in life, parenting especially.

That last sentiment falls directly in line with the ethos of a popular online group called “Unicorn Moms.”

The group, profiled in an Elle Magazine story earlier this year entitled, “The Rise of the Mom-Shaming Resistance,” operates around the maxim “Perfect moms are like unicorns. They don’t exist.”

More specifically, A Unicorn Mom, according to the group’s website, is “a mother who’s not perfect, enjoys alcohol, has a sense of humour, and couldn’t care less what you think.”

If Meghan Markle is at all rattled by treatment she received online this week, she might want to join ranks with the Unicorns (if the palace permits it).

Or at the very least, log onto the group’s Facebook page, a goldmine of non-judgmental, reality-based support. For example: “Parenting hack: there are no hacks. Everything is hard. These kids don’t listen. This is your life now. Godspeed.”

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