I Don’t Want to Hear About Chrissy Teigen’s Post-Baby Body

Yesterday on Facebook, I saw multiple headlines about Chrissy Teigen’s post-baby body. I chose not to open the articles. After a friend texted me a link to one of the articles, though, and said, “Can’t they just talk about how happy she seems and/or how funny she is?!” I realized it was worth addressing.

First off, I’m happy for Chrissy Teigen. I’m happy that she had a healthy baby and that she’s able to be comfortable in her own skin. What I’m not happy with are these headlines:

• “Chrissy Teigen Just Gave Birth And Her Post-Baby Body Is Already Flawless”
• “Chrissy Teigen Flaunts Post-baby Bod Just Three Weeks After Giving Birth”
• “Chrissy Teigen Shows Off Her Envy-Inducing Three-Week Post-Baby Body”

Umm, no wonder there are body issues in this country.

You can say, ‘Oh, she’s a model.’ ‘Her job is to look good.’ ‘She has trainers and nutritionists, etc., and that we as readers should understand that and not compare ourselves.’ But, come on: we’re human. If you continue to get hit over the head with messages like these, eventually you’re going to fall down.

These web sites want headlines that will grab people’s attention. Showing something that is unique/not normal (like Chrissy’s body) will often do that. Uniqueness is one of the main pillars of newsworthiness. So, I get it. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

Instead of continuing to rant about how it sucks that we are constantly bombarded with unrealistic (and often photo-shopped) body images and messages, here are a few things we can do about it.

1. Follow sites/social media accounts that promote positive and realistic body messages, such as Take Back Post-Partum on Instagram.
2. Share your story with others. For example, a good friend of mine told me it took a year post-baby for her to feel somewhat like her old self, and she’s an amazing fitness instructor. Before she told me this, I had an unrealistic expectation that I was supposed to be back to my pre-baby body within a few months. Her story freed me in a way. I’m now 20 months post-baby and my body isn’t the same as before I gave birth, and that’s OK.
3. If you read magazines/websites that don’t contribute positively to the way you feel about yourself, stop reading them. My mom gave me this advice about 10 years ago, and it’s taken me nearly 10 years to take the advice. I love People and US Weekly; I call them adult picture books – just so easy to flip through! But I also know that for me, these types of publications don’t contribute positively to my self-image. So with initial hesitation, I stopped subscribing to them and don’t buy them at the grocery store. I can’t say I’ve gone completely cold turkey (I occasionally buy one at an airport) but I’m trying.

Tip #3 is actually the reason why I didn’t originally click on the Chrissy Teigen links I saw yesterday. I try to limit the negative and/or unrealistic messages that enter into my world and, thereby, my daughter’s world. It’s REALLY hard. But I’m finding the more I practice, the easier it gets.

I’m happy to hear about Chrissy Teigen’s new precious baby. I just don’t want to hear about Chrissy Teigen’s post-baby body.