While appearing on Australian morning show Sunrise, Blake Lively found herself talking about the “unfair” expectations new mums are faced with. The conversation went to the 28-year-old actress’ bikini body in her film The Shallows, which she filmed just months after giving birth to her first child, daughter James, in December 2014.
“I think a woman’s body after having a baby is pretty amazing.”
A photo posted by Blake Lively (@blakelively) on
Lively was clearly uncomfortable with the positive attention her post-baby body has garnered, and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind about it. “It’s so unfair though, because it’s so celebrated,” she said. “’This is what someone can look like after a baby.’ I think a woman’s body after having a baby is pretty amazing.”
The actress went on to say that new mums shouldn’t be expected to “bounce back” to their pre-baby bodies immediately after pregnancy, and that the act of giving birth should be celebrated more.
“You don’t need to be Victoria’s Secret ready right away because you just did the most incredible miracle that life has to offer,” she continued. “I mean, you gave birth to a human being! So I would really like to see that celebrated.”
In another interview with The Sun, Lively confessed that she had looked at Jessica Alba’s post-baby body and asked herself: “Why don’t I look like her after giving birth?”
“It’s not normal to look like that eight months after having a kid.”
Blake Lively shot The Shallows just 8 months after giving birth, but admits that her post-baby body was “not normal”. (Photo: duway on Instagram)
“Women put pressure on themselves to look like a Victoria’s Secret model after having a baby,” she continued. “It’s absolutely absurd. It was my job to look that way.”
Lively went on to talk about how much work she had to do to be ready for The Shallows. “I focused on training and eating well. It took two different trainers and a nutritionist to help me get into that sort of shape because it’s not normal to look like that eight months after having a kid.”
Lively is currently expecting her second child with husband Ryan Reynolds.