Not all celeb mums are miracle workers
Three cheers for The Office actress Jenna Fischer, who has shed reassuringly candid light on the often mysterious world of celebrity pregnancy.
We are presented with a near-continuous stream of images of post-pregnancy celebrity bodies, showcasing miraculous recovery of pre-pregnancy form. For ordinary mums, the effect is – understandably – disconcerting.
That’s why it’s quite refreshing when a high profile mum challenges these high expectations and, we hope, tells it like it is.
Unlike some celebrity mums, who appear to shed baby weight in a matter of days, Fischer admits in her interview with People that she didn’t start exercising until at least six months after the birth of her son Weston.
For her, shifting baby weight took ten months. She also admits that she felt it was her duty to alleviate any guilt other mums feel about getting back into shape.
Speaking as a man/husband/dad, I would be pretty concerned if my wife immediately leapt onto the treadmill a day after she’d given birth. I would much prefer her to be resting and making time for our daughter.
Even if she had enough time and energy to devote to getting back into shape, I’d feel duty-bound to remind her that – despite all her efforts – it may just not be possible.
Perhaps the greatest myth perpetuated by celebrity post-pregnancy bodies is the idea that bodies miraculously ‘pop’ back into shape, so you are exactly the same as you were before. Even I know this is pretty unrealistic, and I’m a man.
If I may be so bold, I think we need more people like Ms Fischer coming out and speaking honestly about their bodies after pregnancy. Its re-assuring as much for dads as it is for mums.
There’s already plenty of mums doing it. Just look at the success of this group of mummy bloggers from the US, whose message made it across the continent.
Great piece! And thanks for the CTWorkingMoms.com shout out at the end!
Yes – absolutely right. Looking after the health of baby and mum is what matters most after birth and weight loss can wait a bit. My baby weight has finally gone after 14 months but the odd shaped tummy remains and there isn’t much time for me to work on it – what with looking after twins and working 3 days a week. Dads are so important in promoting this message to mums so well done and thank you.
This is really refreshing to read and I agree that it’s great for celebrity women to talk about real post-pregnancy bodies. There are celebrities in magazines all the time that have got their figure back in weeks and it sets unrealistic expectations for your average woman. Mum should worry about her baby and her not getting to the gym. Also, her body has gone through a massive ordeal, even more so after a C-section so she should rest and worry about her figure later on.
I’m really happy to see this article was written by a man too as its lovely to see him care so much about mum and baby that he isn’t concerned over her weight, as many women seem to think men are.