Do Celebrity Moms Make the Rest of Us Want to Lose Weight Fast?
A celebrity mom who looks just right.
Over in England, they’re not only talking about Prince William’s engagement. They’re also talking about how celebrity moms who lose the baby weight fast effect the rest of us.
Apparently, the news isn’t good. When celebrities with babies not even three months old trot out their super slim physiques, it makes regular moms feel — what’s the word — bad. But worse than that, it inspires some to go on crash diets.
In a survey by the Royal College of Midwives, two thirds of respondents said they felt some degree of coercion because of media images of instantly skinny celebrity moms.
In our 24/7 media culture, women whose job it is to look fantastic must feel like they need to look “fantastic” (read: like they did before they had babies) as quickly as possible to maintain their brands. But they’re not going on crash diets to lose weight fast. They’re hiring people to help them exercise and eat well and take care of their babies. And even if you could hire a trainer, a nutritionist, a nanny or two and a cook, should you even try to lose all the baby weight within three months of giving birth?
I would argue, strenuously, the answer is no. Getting pregnant, being pregnant, giving birth, caring for a newborn, these are physically demanding acts. Women’s bodies evolved over million of years to meet the incredible demands of reproduction and after a birth, a woman needs time to recover. More time than three months. That celebrities choose to lose weight fast and then show off their bodies in the press has more to do with their businesses than their health.
And still, the pressure to appear a certain way is fierce and the problem of body image doesn’t disappear in a rainstorm of common sense. I remember being at a kiddie pool with my then 8-month-old twins. Let’s just say that after eight months I’d yet to recover any semblance of my pre-baby flat belly. (The same might be said for after 6 years, but that’s another post.) Along came another mom, with her younger baby and her extremely appropriate and flattering string bikini. I must have gone pale because in a flash my husband was at my side, whispering in my ear, “Honey, she was born like that.” Which let me both laugh at myself and helped me feel better.
So, we can look at celebrity moms and we can appreciate the work they do to look the way they do and fill the pages of the magazines. But looking that way really is their job, it’s not everyone’s work. Sure, we can all be healthy, exercise, eat a balanced diet, but not everybody needs a string bikini to match her baby.
So here’s the real question: When Kate Middleton has her first baby, not only will we able to bet on the baby’s name, but we can also see how long will it take her to lose the baby weight and will she share her secrets?
But seriously, do pictures of celebrity moms change how you feel about your weight?
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Yes, I will totally admit that I’m influenced by celebrity moms who look flawless within weeks of giving birth. After my first baby, looking at celeb moms just made me feel inadequate. But when I was pregnant with number two, I felt somewhat inspired by them to eat healthier and watch my weight during pregnancy. Also, post-partum, I chose to carve out a little time to care for myself (to put in a workout DVD, take a walk, make myself a healthy meal, etc.) and I was able to loss all my baby weight and a bit more within the first three months. Yes, celebs often have personal trainers, full-time nannies and chefs and losing the weight is essentially part of their job. And some of their results are simply unattainable for us mere mortals…However, sometimes it’s about prioritizing your needs. I mean, do the dishes *really* need be unloaded immediately (or the baby-book filled out, or the laundry folded), or could you jump rope for ten minutes? I think moms should make their health and, on a lesser scale, their appearence (especially if it helps with mental wellbeing) a priority. Their entire family will reap the benefits.
I’m always sad to hear women go on and on about how celebrity moms make them feel “pressured” to lose weight at an unrealistic speed. I know it can be disappointing to look in the mirror postpartum and not recognize that flabby body, but I really don’t see what actresses and models have to do with us regular folks. They have an army of helpers to assist them in getting back into shape. Nothing about my lifestyle even vaguely resembles a celebrity lifestyle- no nannies, trainers, or chefs. But normal women need to take some personal responsibility. We’re adults. We need to choose not to be influenced by celebrities- their weight loss, and their often inane takes on parenting. Growing and birthing a baby are challenging tasks. Give yourself a break (and a pat on the back) and enjoy your beautiful new baby.
It’s true that we have to see the world through our own eyes, and i think it’s a wise insight to use the example of celebrities with their teams as a way of inspiring us to take a little more time for ourselves. Celebrities may not have much of anything to do with our lives, but we all can take walks (and let the dishes wait)!
Can I just add that there are several reasons behind male moobs. Some folk refer to man boobs as bitch tits.Sometimes these grow b’cos of an unusually high build up of estrogen in yourbody. Now us men dont produce the same amounts of estrogen as women, but some men make alot more than other men. One big reason for this is due to steroid abuse.