Thursday

heidi klum & everybody else

I'm all for cultural change that allows that we mothers are sexual beings, just as we were before becoming mothers, but I agree with Slate's TV critic that there is something vaguely unsettling about Heidi Klum strutting the Victoria's Secret runway in a thong eight weeks after giving birth.

Women are under tremendous pressure to "get their bodies back" as soon as possible after giving birth and this is just another guilt-inducing thing ("But Heidi Klum was in a THONG! Two months after she had the baby!)

Many women are still swollen and leaky eight weeks after giving birth. All of us are sleep-deprived and hormonal eight weeks after giving birth. We are still getting the hang of this baby thing or this more-than-one-kid-in-the-household thing. It's not a period I think 99.9% of women would describe as the most erotic or sexually exciting of their lives. In fact, for most women, the thought of wearing a thong in the first few months after giving birth sounds about as appealing as binding our feet.

(I do have to commend Heidi on her excellent taste in baby names. Her son is named Henry ;-)
Posted by at

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

And most mothers don't have a full-time nanny to take care of the child so momma can work out and walk the runway.

I'm not a parent, but I, too, get sick of rich celebrities setting the standards. Yes, Goldie Hawn can look great at 50+, but she has all day to work out, can afford the best foods, and has the cash for any nips/tucks she needs.

Thursday, December 8, 2005 at 6:18:00 PM GMT
Anonymous said...

As much as I really do agree with you I have to say that perhaps the problem is not that Heidi in a thong ten weeks after giving birth because really she was back at work and that is what she does for a living is walk around and get her picture taken in underwear. The problem is that we don't usually see the other faces of postpartum life: the haggard, sleepy faces attatched to the saggy and sore bodies. Both are a reality. There are women who are back in shape quickly, with or without personal trainers and those who are never back to where they were physically before having a baby---both images are valid and both should be seen and most of us probably fall somewhere in between.
Personally it is not the physical aspects but the mental one that amazes me: I was far from ready to be back at work at 10 weeks although I went back at about 12 and it was difficult for me. Most women probably have to be back at work, whatever they do (even models), sooner than they'd like.

Maybe someday we will have the images of women ten weeks after birth that are more realistic for more of us--tired eyes, swollen breasts, spit-up on our clothing, etc...but, there is no denying the power of the idea of Heidi Klum on that runway with a newborn at home and the message that sends to some women...

Thursday, December 8, 2005 at 11:35:00 PM GMT
Anonymous said...

My ex is one of the lucky women who get their shape back quickly. As an example,she gave birth to baby number 4 at 8:30AM, and was in her pre-pregnancy jeans (granted, the largest ones) by 6PM that evening.

I, on the other hand, never recovered my figure...*grin*

Friday, December 9, 2005 at 5:58:00 AM GMT

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)