Remember when I told you that the emphasis on celebrity weight in the media (in this case, in Us Weekly), is an issue that affects everyone? Another group it specifically affects is young mothers. Since 74% of Us readers are female, and 33% of readers are ages 25-34, Us has the ability to reach lots of women of typical child-bearing age.
We all know women gain weight during pregnancy, but the weight loss issue is something very unique to each new mom. Most Web sites I searched say it takes about 6 months to get back to your pre-baby weight, give or take 3 months. Mind you, that is pre-baby weight, not pre-baby figure. Breastfeeding and a healthy diet can help moms lose weight, but they certainly will not give new mothers their old six-packs back, nor should they. The News Health Guru says that crash dieting and excessive exercise after giving birth are unhealthy for the mother and the baby because the body is required to heal and to give certain nutrients to infants via breastfeeding.
Celebrity moms seem to lose baby weight and tone up at the drop of a hat, and Us Weekly could not be happier to tell us how they do it. Check out the cover of Trista Sutter and her post-pregnancy body. Do you think most moms are able to look like this after only 5 months? Do you think most women look like this ever?
The problem is that celebrity moms have personal chefs, trainers, and dietitians. They also work in an industry that requires them to look good all the time. While Us doesn't deny these facts, it still talks about the path to a better "body after baby" pretty extensively.
Normal moms don't have personal chefs and trainers, but they do have magazines telling them what is beautiful. While they lack the resources to lose weight so quickly after giving birth, do you think they lack the willpower? I don't. I think the desire to lose weight immediately after having a baby can lead to unhealthy habits, such as crash dieting, or negative body image. In fact, a Deakin University study found that 25% of women are "usually or always dissatisfied" with their post-baby body.
Sad, isn't it? Sad that the most exciting time in a woman's life may be tainted by the immense pressure to look like someone who has never given birth.
Us Weekly, do you think these images are helping or harming those women who already struggle with the changes in their body due to pregnancy?
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