Tia Mowry Reflects On Pregnancy & Claps Back At "Snapback Culture"
While snapping back quickly after having a baby has become something celebrated in pop culture, many celebrities are beginning to speak out against it. Celebs like Beyoncé, Tia Mowry and more have opened up about the pressure to shed their baby weight fast and get back to their pre-baby body.
While there is nothing wrong with having that goal, it could be dangerous if you do it too quickly. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) lists when you can exercise after giving birth.
For example, if you had a C-section, you should wait at least six weeks before exercising again and if you had complications with your pregnancy, you should also hold off on exercising until your doctor gives you the green light.
However, societal pressures and social media can make one feel like they have to lose the baby weight ASAP and while there have been women, celebs and non-celebs alike, that fell victim to that way of thinking, here are four women who simply said nah.
Tia Mowry
Tia Mowry has spoken about feeling pressured to snap back after giving birth to her two kids, 10-year-old son Cree and 3-year-old daughter Cairo, on more than one occasion, but more recently she shared an Instagram post where she called out "snapback culture" and celebrated her body before and after birth.
"Pregnancy was such a special time in my life and I loved it and my bump! I also loved my body before pregnancy," she said.
"We're led to believe we should love one over the other. But it was important for me to be super proud of BOTH bodies instead of feeling pressured to be a part of the snapback culture."
"I think instead we can look at our bodies and love and acknowledge them for keeping us alive and keeping our babies alive! Mamas, we can allow our bodies to just BE while we nourish them (and our little ones!) with good things, instead of buying into the snapback culture.💗"
The Sister, Sister star has also detailed her weight loss journey on Instagram.
Beyoncé
In 2018, Beyoncé wrote a piece in Vogue about how she approached getting her waist snatched with each pregnancy. In the essay, the "XO" singer revealed that after she gave birth to her first child Blue Ivy, she actually pressured herself to lose the baby weight in three months, but when she had her twins Rumi and Sir, she put her health first.
During her pregnancy with Rumi and Sir, the singer had toxemia, which causes high blood pressure and can be dangerous for the mother and the baby, and she had to get an emergency C-section.
After that traumatic experience, the Grammy award-winner decided to sit still and enjoy motherhood while also embracing her fuller frame.
"After the C-section, my core felt different. It had been major surgery. Some of your organs are shifted temporarily, and in rare cases, removed temporarily during delivery. I am not sure everyone understands that. I needed time to heal, to recover. During my recovery, I gave myself self-love and self-care, and I embraced being curvier. I accepted what my body wanted to be."
Kelly Rowland
While Kelly Rowland's body has been looked at as "motivation" for many women to hit the gym, the mother of two shared a real look into the body post-pregnancy.
After giving birth to her second son Noah at the beginning of the year, Kelly revealed that she had diastasis recti, which is a separation of the abs that meet down the middle. She also opened up to Billboard about being a mother of two boys and not putting pressure on herself.
"I still don't know how to be a mother of two, exactly, but I'm figuring it out. It's going to be a unique experience -- Titan's not like anyone else's on this planet, Noah's not like anyone else on this planet. I'm still navigating myself through motherhood."
"So the less pressure I put on myself and allow myself grace -- because I'm not going to get it right every single time – I think it's only fair to just breathe and use your instincts to navigate your way through. But I've learned not to put so much pressure on myself and to let my creativity flow."
Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington was very adamant about having downtime after giving birth. When speaking to People, the Scandal actress recalled an upsetting rumor about her working out a week or two after the birth of her son Caleb.
"It was rumored somewhere that I was working out a week or two after he was born and it really upset me, actually. I never talk about rumors in the media, but I was really sad that somebody printed that because I felt like, 'Oh, that makes women feel like they have to start working out' — like, 'Oh celebrities work out right away.' And I was like, 'No way!' "
The Emmy-nominated actress said that her doctor required that she not partake in any physical activity for six weeks and she followed the doctor's orders.
"It was really important to me to have that downtime and then start working out slowly, which I'm still doing, I am still slowly getting back into it."
Featured image by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Variety
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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ItGirl In Motion: DonYé Taylor Asked Herself This Question When Creating Her Brainchild
"Being an 'ItGirl' is all about being yourself and taking all of the elements that make you who you are and displaying them at your highest capability," creative brainiac DonYé Taylor says in the introduction of the limited video series, "ItGirl In Motion."
In partnership with Hyundai, xoNecole has unveiled the limited series in conjunction with our inaugural ItGirl 100 list. The list boasts 100 Black women who not only innovate and take up space when it comes to putting on for their cities, but also as the driving force behind brands that create impact for the culture. ItGirl DonYé Taylor is one of the 100 featured ladies who put her purpose into action.
ITGIRL IN MOTION with DONYE TAYLORwww.youtube.com
As a marketing consultant, content creator, and CEO, a driving force behind DonYé's ambitions has been to show others how she sees the world by "creating art and doing things that shift perspective." In founding her brainchild, Nüclei, which is coincidentally also home to the ever-so-chic chrome brain piggybank, DonYé briefly touched on the inspiration behind the brand. "I was like, 'What would it look like if I were to be of service to myself?' And that's what made me create Nuclei," she said.
Watch the video above to take a peek into the life of the LA-based ItGirl, the importance of Black women receiving our "flowers" while we're here, and the three things she believes are absolutely essential to any ItGirl.
See our ItGirl 100 list in full here. Click through the gallery below for some BTS moments of DonYé and our partnership with Hyundai.
CREDITS
Director: Mikkoh @mikkoh
Production Company: @30inthemorning
AD/Gimbal Op: @jeffreyrattanong
DP: @jucelandrin_
Editor: @30inthemorning
1st AC: Bonnie Delgado @bonniebellevue
2nd AC: Liz Robles @lizfatimarobles
FPV Drone Op: Kai Kevin Goh @kaivertigoh
Gaffer: Nelson Nguyen @nelson_ftw
Key Grip: Ames Hoang @mangothemaker
SLT: Jamon Tolbert @jamon.tolbert
Sound Mixer: Deyo Forteza @introducingdeyo
PA: Breyona Holt @exquisite_eye
PA: Aminah Muhammad @aminahmuhamm
BTS: Marika Belamarich @marikarosegold
Featured image by Marika Belamarich for xoNecole