Having a healthy body image during postpartum -- say goodbye to Barbie!
So I read in the paper this morning that J.Lo just gave birth to twins yesterday and next to the article was a photo of her (obviously taken before her pregnancy), with the caption stating that she's already starting to get back into shape. P-LEEEAASE....
This bit about J.Lo, not to mention all the other stories on celebrity moms instantly getting their pre-pregnancy bodies back that we're barraged with in the media, makes me think of how we moms are up against an uphill battle. Especially when we're still postpartum, achingly sleep-deprived and dealing with horrendous hormonal imbalances.
The good news is that starting tomorrow we'll have at least a week of healthy body image messages. This coming week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, sponsored by the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). NEDA, http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org, is a wonderful organization, not only focused on spreading awareness of eating disorders, but also awareness of society's crazy, all-too-narrow body image expectations. I see ads all the time that are geared towards new moms, telling them they need diets, extreme workout regimens, and even plastic surgery to get their pre-pregnancy bodies back. As if we don't have enough pressure as it is with nighttime feedings, endless laundry and diapers, and all the other hundreds of things we work and cope with every day as moms. On top of it all, we have to look like Barbie, and quick.
Well, thanks to NEDA, we can listen to healthy messages, that remind us that we women come in all different shapes and sizes, that we can actually, truly, be "happy in our genes."
So in honor of next week, here's NEDA's "Get Real Barbie" list that I think we all should read to ourselves and to our daughters:
Comments
This mucho pleases me! One thing I like about Jennifer Lopez is that she has never subscribed to the Tanorexic look of LA, she is very shapely and she embraces it. I hope she keeps that outlook and doesn't turn into Victoria Beckham.
I remember being 12 weeks post-partum and a relative giving me the once over and pointing out the areas on my body she felt I needed to work on now that I wasn't pregnant anymore. She is a much older relative but I still felt like extending my fist for a warm Irish greeting!
I think women are much tougher on other women in terms of what is considered 'acceptable' body size. Most men love curves - it's women who drive this mad dash to the size 00.
While I'd still like to tone up a little, I'm happy with my body.
I'm not sure why, because I'm supposed to be skinny (yet with enormous boobs, like two rounded concrete slabs stuck on my chest) and have all my fabulous children who never cry, perfect skin, have a blazing career, huge house, cook gourmet meals - and still have time to greet my husband in high heels and lingerie when he comes home from work...
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