5 Celebs Who Hit Back Against Unrealistic Postpartum Expectations
Our society puts plenty of strange, difficult, and downright unfair expectations on pregnant folks and new moms. The demand to immediately "bounce back" and chase after your pre-pregnancy body when you're postpartum has to be one of the most unreasonable of all. When you're in the spotlight, this pressure is especially intense. After giving birth, new parents are praised for looking like they were never even pregnant as quickly as possible. More and more stars are standing up against this unreasonable societal standard, and they've called out just how bizarre and wrong it can be.
Most of us know it's irrational to expect people to hit the gym and commit to crash diets the moment they become new parents. Yet, some stars have brought attention to other elements of postpartum expectations that are equally unfair, from not being able to fit into anything that designers have to offer, to being expected to invest tons of time and money into changing your appearance. It's not easy to exist in a postpartum body when your life is constantly under a microscope. Here are some of the best messages that celebs have shared about taking the pressure off by embracing your post-pregnancy body.
Kourtney Kardashian learned to love her changing body
In November 2023, Kourtney Kardashian welcomed her first child with Travis Barker, Rocky Thirteen Barker. It was Kardashian's fourth pregnancy, and she had some wisdom to share this time around. Just five months after Rocky's birth, Kardashian posted an Instagram story for "new mommies," per TMZ. She included a photo of herself smiling in the ocean in a bikini with a message on top that read, "your body is beautiful at all stages." The reality star elaborated by saying, "During pregnancy as we are glowing and growing, postpartum as we are healing and shrinking, and then that period I find hardest as our bodies are still adjusting. The pressure put on us to bounce back when everything is new and different isn't realistic."
This wouldn't be the first time that Kardashian spoke out about her new feelings toward her appearance. Kardashian wasn't always as comfortable with her postpartum body taking its time to change as she was with her fourth child. On an episode of the Kardashian's new reality show on Hulu, Kourtney revealed that Barker helped her to discover that her changing body doesn't change her beauty, per Buzzfeed. She said that Travis' support made her accept how she looks after giving birth. "When I was super skinny, [it was] a time that I was super anxious," Kardashian said. "I'm so into my thicker body... It's just channeling that queen energy and embracing the woman that I am."
Beyoncé's emergency C-section changed her view
Like Kourtney Kardashian, Beyoncé learned to embrace her postpartum body after struggling the first time she became a mom. "After the birth of my first child, I believed in the things society said about how my body should look," the superstar told Vogue in 2018. She explained, "I put pressure on myself to lose all the baby weight in three months... Looking back, that was crazy."
Five years after Blue Ivy was born, Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z, welcomed their twins, Rumi and Sir, in 2017. This time around, Beyoncé said, "I approached things very differently." According to the star, "I was 218 pounds the day I gave birth to Rumi and Sir. I was swollen from toxemia and had been on bed rest for over a month." After a difficult birth and emergency C-section, the singer explained, "I needed time to heal, to recover. During my recovery, I gave myself self-love and self-care, and I embraced being curvier. I accepted what my body wanted to be. After six months, I started preparing for Coachella... But I was patient with myself and enjoyed my fuller curves."
The star explained that women, and men, should appreciate the beauty in their natural bodies, and Beyoncé did just that. "I have a little mommy pouch, and I'm in no rush to get rid of it. I think it's real... right now, my little FUPA and I feel like we are meant to be."
Keke Palmer stressed the importance of privilege when bouncing back
Keke Palmer's son, Leo, wasn't the only gift that her pregnancy gave her. In 2023, the star posted a video on Instagram showing off her postpartum curves. "Last time I spoke to y'all, I was letting y'all know that my son cleared my skin up," she said in the video before declaring, "He gave me something else... B-b-b-body!" The caption read, "Hips? NEVER HAD EM'! Boobs? Never had em'! Booty? BARELY. Thanks son."
Despite Palmer's love for her postpartum body, she also stressed something important about why no one should feel obligated to head straight back to the gym like she did. "It's my job," she explained in an August 2023 episode of her podcast, "Baby, This Is Keke Palmer" (via E! News). "I don't want people to think that I'm also setting unrealistic standards because I can afford a trainer. I can afford meal prep." For most people, having our bodies look a certain way doesn't directly affect our jobs. While it's still a difficult and unfair set of expectations to put on celebrities, they have time, resources, and connections that most people don't. Palmer said, "I always want to make it clear that when I am talking about fitness, health and wellness is that your journey is your journey. You figure it out the way you can. And when you look at these celebrities and people in the industry, know that it is their job."
Blake Lively called out designers for limited sample sizes
Blake Lively has been a fashion icon since her days on "Gossip Girl." So, it's easy to assume that all the biggest designers are scrambling to dress her no matter what size she's wearing, right? Not so much. In 2021, Lively made an Instagram story to share the struggles she had dressing her postpartum body after she'd given birth to her third baby in 2020. Per Buzzfeed, Lively posted a photo of herself on "Fallon" in January of that year. "I put together a Lanvin shirt and dress from Net-A-Porter to make this pretty outfit," she wrote. Why, you ask? "Because no one had samples that fit me after giving birth. And so many clothes from stores didn't fit either. So. Many."
If Blake Lively can't find something to wear, then there can't be much hope for the rest of us. In her opinion, "It doesn't send a great message to women when their bodies don't fit into what brands have to offer. It's alienating and confusing. And I wish I felt as confident then as I do now." Yet, Lively said that "instead of feeling proud, I felt insecure. Simply because I didn't fit into clothes. How silly is that in retrospect?"
Anne Hathaway learned to 'be present' and 'don't set expectations'
For Anne Hathaway, changing her body after pregnancy wasn't easy, and she wants to share what she learned with others. "People don't talk about this and it really made me feel better when I found out about it," Hathaway explained to People in 2023. "It takes three years for your body to fully recover from a pregnancy," she said. After having her two children, Jonathan and Jack, four years apart, Hathaway didn't try to rush nature. "I didn't snap back. I want to be very, very clear about that," the star explained. "With my second, it took every minute of those three years. And it's cool. Let your body be a body."
In Hathaway's opinion, staying present after giving birth is key. "There's nowhere to get to," she said. "It's just now. Just be present and take care of yourself and don't set expectations." In 2016, the star shared some wise words in an Instagram post, writing, "There is no shame in gaining weight during pregnancy (or ever). There is no shame if it takes longer than you think it will to lose the weight (if you want to lose it at all)." Hathaway reminded her followers that bodies are supposed to change. "It's all love (don't let anyone tell you otherwise.)"