Fashionable Step Mom Opens Up About Life with Fibromyalgia

To many, Catherine Kariuki, fondly known online as Fashionable Step Mom, is the picture of elegance. Her social platforms are a curated blend of high-end fashion, luxury beauty treatments, immaculate styling, and captivating content. But behind the designer pieces and flawless makeup lies a deeply human story she has chosen to let the world see.

In a recent heartfelt message to her followers, Catherine peeled back the layers of glamour to reveal a quieter, more vulnerable side of herself.

“Today, I want to share a quieter side of myself, the side without makeup, filters, or the polished moments you’re used to. Just me, as I am,” she wrote.

For Catherine, this honesty is not just a moment of transparency, it is part of the journey she has been walking with fibromyalgia. She explained that if her speech sometimes feels slow or her energy feels different, it is because the condition comes with flare-ups and physical reminders that life is not always seamless.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic illness marked by widespread pain, fatigue, and heightened sensitivity. It does not announce itself loudly, but it demands daily resilience.

“This condition comes with its own marks, flare-ups, and moments that remind me that life isn’t always seamless, even when it looks that way,” she shared, breaking the myth that perfection is effortless.

For her thousands of followers, Catherine’s revelation is a reminder that social media only shows a slice of reality.

“So when you see me dressed up, in my designer pieces, enjoying my facials, or creating beautiful content… remember, everyone carries something. This is what I carry.”

Her message is not one of pity, it is one of courage. Some days the exhaustion is overwhelming. Some days she is knocked flat. And yet, she continues to show up. For herself. For her family. For her community of women who look up to her.

“This is also what I look like sometimes. And that’s okay,” she wrote, embracing the softer, unfiltered version of herself. “It’s part of my story, part of my becoming.”

In sharing her truth, Catherine has done what many in the public eye shy away from: letting people see the person behind the persona. Her vulnerability becomes a bridge, connecting her followers to the reality that strength does not always look like perfection. Sometimes, it looks like waking up on a difficult day and choosing to keep going.

And perhaps that is the most fashionable thing about her.