Are Celebrity Moms Hurting Regular Moms with their Weight Loss Endorsements?

October 23, 2012 2:00 pm By Kay Konnect
Jennifer Hudson , Jessica Simpson , nutrition , weight loss

They’re everywhere and impossible to avoid. Momshells. Super hot and gorgeous celebrity moms whose postpartum fat melted off them with suspicious speeds. Lauded and hailed on the cover of every magazine. “How do you do it” reporters ask mouths agape. The momshells laugh innocently and repeatedly regurgitate the same tired old lines, talking about clean eating and working out.

Heffa please. Give me a break and have a seat.

I know that losing baby weight can come easily to some. It’s totally possible that a momshell or two strolled out of the hospital in her size twos. It was super easy for me after the birth of my first child. Then I got pregnant again when he was about six months old. Fast forward to baby number two and I can now tell you losing baby weight can also be one of the most frustrating and humbling experiences of a woman’s life. There’s no way that every single celebrity mom is losing baby weight naturally and effortlessly. Something is amiss.

Celebrity moms like Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Hudson are paid millions by different diet programs to shed their weight. Talk about motivation! I’m fairly sure that millions of dollars would motivate me to stop drinking pumpkin spice lattes like they’re water but who knows whether the women really used the product? Where’s the proof?

It takes more than money to help the momshells lose weight with disturbing quickness. Nannies, chefs, and private gyms help a bit I’m sure. Why are these women being celebrated for their celebrity privileges? They’re not being honest and I’m not impressed. I understand that their livelihoods are dependent on their physical appearances. It’s not in a celebrity mom’s best interest to lose weight slowly and take her time lounging in comfortable maternity pants. Celebrities owe us nothing. I don’t expect them to worry about the common mom when they sign their endorsements but there needs to be a shift in our thinking.

What if we stopped paying attention? Imagine a world where women are celebrated for impressive achievements not superficial ones. Wouldn’t it be nice to stand in line at the supermarket and not have to feel inferior because you didn’t lose your baby weight before being discharged from the hospital? I wish we’d all stop believing the worthless hype. The only purpose it serves is selling glossy magazines.

We plunk down our $3.99 because we saw the promise of a new amazing diet secret advertised on the front page. It’s never anything new. More of the same half truths celebrities spout because they can’t outright tell us that they barely eat and work out for hours at a time while their child is with a nanny. Thankfully there are some celebrities who don’t feed into the mania like Pink but sadly there aren’t many more. Don’t use celebrities as role models especially when it comes to your health as a new mother. It’s not a fair measuring stick unless you have the same luxurious resources at your disposal.

Women should spend their postpartum moments enjoying their new families, taking care of their bodies, and resting. Your new baby couldn’t care less about your waistline. Read the magazines if you must but don’t waste precious time comparing yourself to women whose lives are dependent on their physical appearance. Yours isn’t. This magical time with your baby is fleeting you’ll never look back on it and wish you had spent more time in the gym and less time with your child. I promise.

Do you think celebrity moms are hurting regular moms with their unrealistic depictions or postpartum weight loss?

Words By: Veronica Armstrong
Veronica Armstrong is a photographer, blogger, and freelance writer whose stories spring from the cinderblock walls of her married graduate student apartment. You can find her on Google+ or see more of her writing and photography on her blog.