Pretty much any time a female celebrity steps out in public after having a baby, tabloid magazines will seize the photos and descend on them as fodder for analyses of the star's so-called "post-baby body." The accompanying headlines will be variations on "X Shows Off Post-Baby Body," even if "showing off" means merely going on a grocery run a few weeks after giving birth.
First of all, the fact that the term "post-baby body" even exists already speaks volumes about society's expectations for women's bodies. It's a term commonly used to celebrate women who have appeared to slim down after giving birth — and to shame those who haven't. More often than not, women are under intense scrutiny to watch their weight before, during, and after pregnancy. And if they're at the mercy of tabloid media, we can only imagine that that scrutiny is even worse.
But thankfully, some celebrities are not bowing to the pressure to "bounce back" after giving birth, and setting a good example for us all. Even if we recognize the ridiculousness of societal standards for women's bodies, it's nice to know that some awesome, high-profile ladies are standing up against the idea that weight loss should be a woman's first priority the second after she, y'know, gives birth to a child.
Ahead, we've rounded up 20 times our favorite celebrities got real about what having a "post-baby body" really means. Check it out and get inspired.
That time Kerry Washington shut down the the suggestion to get back to her "pre-baby" weight
When Washington's manager made a comment about returning to her "pre-baby" self, she was quick to (gently) shut it down.
"She meant it as a total compliment, but 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,'" she told Self. "I've been really focused on not being 'back' to anything, but being the best version of myself right now.'"
"My body is the site of a miracle right now. I don't want to be pre-miracle."
Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images.
When Blake Lively reminded us how "unfair" post-baby body standards are
In an interview with Sunrise, Lively dismissed the emphasis on what someone's body looks like after giving birth.
"It's so unfair though, because it's so celebrated," she said. "It's like, this is what someone can look like after a baby. I think a woman's body after having a baby is pretty amazing… You don't need to be Victoria's Secret-ready right away because you just did the most incredible miracle that life has to offer. I mean, you gave birth to a human being! So I would really like to see that celebrated."
Photo: Jim Spellman/WireImage.
When Kim Kardashian embraced her body changes to set an example for her daughter
Kim Kardashian may not always be the beacon of body positivity, but this blog post about her post-baby outlook hit the nail on the head.
"After I had Saint, I decided to set goals for myself. I was motivated, but it was tough! It isn't easy to just bounce back. I was so jealous of women who had these cute little baby bellies and would gain 25 pounds — and then, a few weeks after giving birth, somehow look exactly like they did before they were pregnant... That's not me… As North gets older, she'll start to be more aware of herself and her body. Her attitude toward her body is directly related to my own, so it's my responsibility to make sure she understands that positive body image comes from having a healthy self-esteem. We all have our hang-ups and things we might want to change, but my curves make me who I am. So I embrace my body and the changes I've gone through. If anything, those changes remind me of what I'm able to create with my body: two little angels that I love beyond words." —Kim Kardashian's blog, via Elle
Photo: JB Lacroix/WireImage.
Why Chrissy Teigen didn't feel the need to "bounce back"
If there's anyone we can count on to get real about all the things one goes through as a new mom, it's Chrissy Teigen.
"I think some people actually get really weirded out if you do bounce back too quickly because you really should be at home with this little thing and taking care of her and not be so concerned," she told People. "But you'll never have the right answer and you'll never be right to everybody, so you just live and do what you can do best."
Photo: Ryan Miller/Getty Images
That time Beyoncé was in awe of her post-baby body
Beyoncé revealed that she actually felt more confident about her body after giving birth to Blue Ivy.
“Right now, after giving birth, I really understand the power of my body," she told Vogue after giving birth to Blue Ivy ." I just feel my body means something completely different. I feel a lot more confident about it."
Photo: Venturelli/FilmMagic
When Olivia Wilde said she doesn't want to live in a world "where mothers are expected to shed any physical evidence of their child-bearing experience"
Wilde had her first child with Jason Sudeikis in 2014, and the pair announced earlier this year that they are expecting their second.
"I believe in a world where mothers are not expected to shed any physical evidence of their child-bearing experience," the actress told Shape.
"In that same world I believe there is space for exercise to be as much a gift to your brain as it is your body. I don't want to waste my time striving for some subjective definition of perfection. I'd rather rebuild my strength while dancing my ass off...literally."
Photo: Don Arnold/WireImage.
Why Jennifer Love Hewitt didn't want to be "consumed" by body hang-ups
The Ghost Whisperer actress talked to Us Weekly about not being consumed by her body image, and instead focusing on what she was thankful for.
"I really thought I was going to be super consumed with trying to get my body back to the way it was before, and now that I'm a mom, I'm like, I don't want to be that girl again, because that girl didn't have a baby and didn't have a great husband and didn't have this blissful existence that I'm having now."
Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images.
The time Zooey Deschanel got candid about how weird it is to expect women to look like their pre-baby selves "because you just grew a human and then birthed that human"
Deschanel got candid with Redbook about why it's absurd to expect a woman's body to be what it was before having a baby.
"To expect someone to look like her pre-baby self immediately is odd," she said. "Because you just grew a human and then birthed that human — there's a lot that needs to go back to where it was. All your organs move around, for chrissakes!"
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images.
When Jennifer Garner told everyone why her "bump" is here to stay
Jennifer Garner spoke on the Ellen DeGeneres Show about why she'll always have a baby bump — and why that's okay.
"I am not pregnant, but I have had three kids, and there is a bump… I get congratulated all the time by people I know… From now on, ladies, I will have a bump, and it will be my baby bump. It's not going anywhere. Its name is Violet, Sam, and Sera."
Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.
When Anne Hathaway explained that there's no shame in gaining weight during pregnancy (or ever)
Hathaway was refreshingly candid about why it's okay to need a bigger pair of jeans.
"There is no shame in gaining weight during pregnancy (or ever)," she wrote on an Instagram post. "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). There is no shame in finally breaking down and making your own jean shorts because last summer's are just too dang short for this summer's thighs. Bodies change. Bodies grow. Bodies shrink. It's all love (don't let anyone tell you otherwise.) Peace xx #noshame #lovewhatyouhavebeengiven."
Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic.
Why Carrie Underwood has "more respect" for her body after giving birth
American Idol- winner-turned-country-music-star Carrie Underwood wants you to cut yourself some slack.
"There is a lot of pressure," the singer admitted to Glamour. "I will never have my pre-baby body back, no matter how hard I try. My body changed to make another human being, and that's amazing. I have much more respect for my body after that. I think it's all about feeling good, and I feel good. It's just kind of where we are as a society. [New moms] just need to feel good — cut yourself some slack."
Photo: Rick Diamond/Getty Images.
When Drew Barrymore was refreshingly frank about the "crazy stuff" her body went through after giving birth to two babies
In an interview with Glamour, Barrymore discussed how she stays positive.
"After making two babies, holy cow, does your body do some crazy stuff!" she said. "It's hard to stay positive and love yourself. You feel like a kangaroo with a giant pouch; everything's saggy and weird. But you think about how beautiful it is that you're able to make children. When I lose sight of that, I exercise, read Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go!, and spend time with my kids. Then I start to see things that are bigger than myself."
Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images
The moment Amy Adams learned to have a new "relationship" with her body
Adams says that pregnancy changed her relationship with her body.
"Being pregnant finally helped me understand what my true relationship was with my body — meaning that it wasn't put on this earth to look good in a swimsuit," she told Parade. "I was like, 'Look, I can carry a baby! I'm gaining weight right, everything's going well.' And I've had that relationship ever since."
Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage
When Gemma Ward became more "forgiving" of her body
Gemma Ward gave birth to a baby girl in 2013, and says that it changed the way her body functioned.
“I’m definitely a lot more forgiving of my own body now," the model told Yahoo. "It’s seriously amazing. You really do focus less on what you look like and what it can do, and you realize why everything is built the way it is. I felt like my body functioned better when I became pregnant. Things just worked better. It was like my organs just said, 'Look, we’ve got a job to do, we have to step this up!’ You get a lot of appreciation for your body and you look at women who’ve been through it differently.”
Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.
When Liv Tyler gave advice for being kind to your body
As Tyler says, our bodies are all different, and the important thing to remember is to be kind to yourself first.
"Just be kind to yourself. Everyone is different. Everyone's body is different, everyone's birth experience is different." People
Photo: Gary Gershoff/WireImage.
The time Kate Winslet was proud of her "crumble baby belly"
Kate Winslet wants you to know that you should be proud of not being "perfect."
"I have a crumble baby belly, boobs are worse for wear after two kids... I'm doing all right. I'm 33. I don't look in the mirror and go, 'Oh, I look fantastic!' Of course I don't. Nobody is perfect. I just don't believe in perfection. But I do believe in saying, 'This is who I am and look at me not being perfect!' I'm proud of that." — Daily Mail
Photo: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
When Keira Knightley realized how amazing her body is
After giving birth, Knightley decided that she was never going to hate her body again.
"[I] have to say, as a woman, you hate certain parts of your body. You go through those periods where you look in the mirror and you think, Oh, if only I had different legs or arms or whatever. You go through pregnancy and labor and then feeding the kid and you go, Wow, my body is totally amazing , and I'm never going to not like it again, because it did this, and this is fucking extraordinary. " — Elle
Photo: Monica Schipper/FilmMagic.
That time Hillary Duff took the tabloids to task for saying that she debuted her "post-baby bod" when she was simply running an errand
Duff gave birth to her son Luca in 2012, and immediately experienced the repercussions of being a famous woman who appears in public after having a baby.
"After I had Luca, I went out to, like, the breast-pump store — I was still huge — and I just had a comfortable outfit on," she told Redbook. "And the next day [in the tabloids] it was like, 'Hilary debuts post-baby bod!' And I was like, 'That's not a debut! That's an errand!'"
Photo: Jim Spellman/WireImage.
When Adele revealed that pregnancy caused her to grow a beard — and she's "proud of it"
Thanks to Adele, we now know that a lot can happen to your body during pregnancy — and there's no shame in it.
“When I got pregnant I had so much testosterone in me that I grew a beard," she told fans at a concert. "I only cropped it last night. It’s actually true. I’m not telling a joke. I actually have a beard, but I’m proud of it. I call it Larry.”
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.
The time Jessica Simpson opened up about the pressure to lose weight
Simpson opened up to USA Today about dealing with the scrutiny on her weight.
“I feel like everybody can do what I am doing," she said. "I’m not a supermodel. My body is not bouncing back like a supermodel. I’m just your everyday woman who is trying to feel good and be healthy for her daughter, her fiancé and herself."
Photo: Steve Mack/FilmMagicLike what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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