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Chrissy Teigen Gets Real About Post-Baby Body Insecurity

After welcoming her second child with husband John Legend—Miles, born in May—Chrissy Teigen is celebrating summer by re-upping her role as social media’s proponent of no-holds-barred candor. The model took to Instagram yesterday to show off a few Stories from the family’s vacation in Bali, and while Miles and two-year-old sister Luna are featured prominently, the main focus fell on Teigen’s exposed midsection. A zoom-in on Teigen’s bikini body was accompanied by a few reddish stretch marks and a simple voice caption: “Guess these just aren’t going to go away—this is my new body.”

The conversation quickly moved to Twitter, where Teigen continued, espousing the importance of showing off “regular ol’ bodies” amid feeds filled with immaculate physiques—though she was quick to add that she thinks any type of body positivity is “awesome.” And as followers were quick to applaud her comments, Teigen came back with a crucial caveat: “Also I don’t really call this “body confidence” because I’m not quite there yet. I’m still super insecure. I’m just happy that I can make anyone else out there feel better about themselves!”

The discussion marks a shift from a few years back, when Teigen’s post-baby body share, which came less than a month after daughter Luna’s birth in 2016 and featured a crop top and a remarkably flat stomach, prompted a certain amount of controversy surrounding the unattainable pressure placed on new moms to snap back into shape following pregnancy. That was two years ago, of course, and in the time since, the post-baby body debate has continued to evolve on social media—and, more importantly, in real life—with women in the public eye increasingly sharing their unique and personal experiences as a means of empowerment and support.

On one side of the discussion, women like Irina Shayk and Teyana Taylor have posted post-baby shots on social media that speak to their feelings of sensuality and confidence while in new mom mode. But for most women, it’s safe to say that reaching one’s pre-pregnancy weight within weeks of labor is rare, and that some more permanent changes—stretch marks, shifting proportions, the sudden disappearance of one’s waist, changes in skin quality around the abdomen—are part of the motherhood parcel. Earlier this year, Blake Lively got real about the 14-months of hard work, dedication, and steady workouts required to get her back into bombshell shape. “Turns out you can’t lose the 61 lbs you gained during pregnancy by just scrolling through Instagram wondering why you don’t look like all the bikini models,” she wrote, posing with trainer Don Saladino and ending her post with the caption “10 months to gain, 14 months to lose.” The lesson? There’s no “right” figure, and no right way to achieve it—but in the age of oversharing, an authentic moment of honesty and vulnerability is a guaranteed way to cut through the new mom noise.

Now Read: How the Duchess of Cambridge is Proving a “Pillar of Support” to the Duchess of Sussex

 

This article first appeared on Vogue.com

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