Kerry Washington doesn’t want her pre-baby body back. Here’s why
It seems like each time a female celebrity has a baby, every interview she gives afterward inevitably contains a question about how she got her pre-baby body back. *SIGH* Unfortunately, this is a glaring example of the unfair beauty standards women are held to—after all, carrying a growing human in your body for nine months is no small feat. So why should a woman also have to carry the media’s expectations of what her body should look like along with the challenges of being a new mom? (Correct answer: she shouldn’t.)
Thankfully, the star of Scandal (and our hearts) Kerry Washington has made it clear that she does not have time for that kind of talk. E! reports that in the September issue of SELF, Washington states, “A few weeks ago, my manager asked: ‘Do you feel like you’re back? I feel like you’re back.’ The actress explained, “We had this great conversation where I was like, ‘You know what? I try really hard not to use that language, because it’s not about going backward in life.”
In a culture that encourages and pushes women to “go back” to their pre-baby bodies, it’s hard for them not to feel pressured to lose that “baby weight” ASAP and return to “looking normal.” And of course, that kind of pressure is ridiculous and not OK. Women should be celebrated for what their bodies are capable of doing and how they’re feeling —not scrutinized for what they “should” look like.
And Washington echoes those sentiments. She tells SELF, “I’ve been really focused on not being ‘back’ to anything, but being the best version of myself right now.” We totally love and agree with this wholeheartedly.
Washington added, “My body is the site of a miracle now. I don’t want to be pre-miracle.” Since that miracle—the birth of daughter Isabelle in April of 2014—Washington has found greater balance. She tries to fit some exercise into her schedule while also spending time with her family and working. However, she doesn’t sweat missing a day or two — after all, being both a mom and the star of a wildly popular TV show means maintaining a busy schedule, and sometimes it’s healthier to rest.
The actress isn’t the first celebrity mom to get real about how pregnancy has affected her body; in fact, Olivia Wilde and Amy Adams are among the many women who have publicly acknowledged that having a baby altered their bodies, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. These celebrities are stepping up to say that a post-baby body is a symbol of pride —not shame.
This attitude isn’t just a growing trend among celeb moms; non-famous, everyday women who don’t regularly grace the covers of magazines have also been sharing their post-baby body image stories. New Zealander Julie Bhosale’s pictures of her own post-baby body went viral along with her blog post advocating for more new-mom self-love and less comparing of their bodies to those of Victoria’s Secret models.
In a little over a month, the new season of Scandal premieres (not that we’re counting down the days or anything) and Washington’s schedule will probably be full to bursting but for now, we hope she gets to spend plenty of time with her family and salute her for continuing the trend of moms who are proud of their post-baby bodies.
(Image via Twitter)
This new mom’s post-baby body pics have gone viral
Celebs are getting so real about their post-baby bodies and we love it
