Wednesday, July 24, 2013

That Thing You Didn't Know About New Moms' Bodies...

I revived myself.

So I have long been in awe of Kate Middleton because she has stellar, if upper-class, fashion sense. I fully admit to shedding a tear or two when the birth announcement was made, and beaming when watching video of Kate, William, and Baby Cambridge's first appearance together. A lot of online news outlets have already pointed out how wonderful it was that Kate chose that polka-dot dress for the reveal, like she was carrying on Diana's legacy. And I like that (and I love that dress, omigod), but what I loved more was how the dress hugged the shape of her post-baby bump.

http://dailymail.co.uk
There is huge pressure in our society for new mothers to immediately get back in shape after giving birth. Crazy supermodels and other Hollywood celebrities constantly show up in the tabloid news cycles sporting perfect bodies mere months after birth. Meanwhile, I can clearly recall being in middle school and watching my mom, a petite woman with biceps bigger than mine, trying to work out the soft pooch at her belly, left over from when she gave birth to my youngest brother...eight years prior. With Hollywoodized images affixed in our minds as what the ideal new mother should look like, I imagine legions of mothers battling self-esteem issues and self-disgust for not looking like those perfect pictures, while their Average-Joe husbands hang out in kitschy sports bars, adding more beer to their rotund bellies and bemoaning why their once-attractive wives have now become dumplings.

I have no doubt that Kate Middleton will get back into her old shape in no time, she just seems like that sort of person, but I admire how she was unafraid to pick a dress that showed the parts of post-birth that most celebrities would never dare reveal and, in fact, many of us may have never before seen in the media. Kate will never be a "normal woman," but right now, she's an international face going through normal-woman parts of life, and I think she made such a brave and role-model-worthy decision to show us the beautiful truth about post-partum women's bodies.

I promise a book-related post next. :)

5 comments:

  1. It is sad that even something as natural as pregnancy is overshadowed by body image issues. I remember when Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan received all that criticism for not slimming down quickly after she had her baby.

    I saw an article on Yahoo! Shine about how a British magazine was offering Kate tips on how to lose the weight. So rude...

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  2. My thoughts exactly. We *never* see that in the media. And it was incredibly refreshing to me, having hobbled out of the hospital three times after giving birth and wondering what in the world I had done to my body and if I would ever resemble myself again.

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  3. That is true we really do never see celebs in the media with post baby bodies (minus I will say Hilary Duff) I adore Kate and have been glued to the TV and internet since the announcement. I was also pleased to see she choose a dress that complimented her post birth body and that she still looked fabulous regardless, I have a feeling it will not be long before we see Kate back to her normal self. However, I think that is just because she is lucky. I mean it wasn't until she was 8 months pregnant that we could really even SEE that bump.

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  4. It's so ridiculous that new moms are expected to immediately jump back into their pre-baby bodies like they can just put on a different outfit. Go Kate for her adorable dress and for being a real mom (and William for being a "real" dad, clicking that baby into the car seat like a pro and driving his new family home!).

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  5. I love that you highlighted this moment! I really think it was really a moment where I loved Kate even more. She wasn't afraid to be real about her body, about having a child, and I loved that. It certainly sent a positive message! (She looks gorgeous too!)

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