Activist and model Emily Ratajkowski has shared snippets of her pregnancy journey, welcoming her first child Sylvester, or Sly for short, a little over a month ago. This week, Ratajkowski shared a snap and video of her posing in a swimsuit, as she so frequently does, and, well, she looks incredible.
“Girl how can you have that body after the baby?” asked original influencer, Chiara Ferragni. Others expressed their disbelief. “Didn’t you just give birth one month ago woman?!” another person wrote, while another lamented, “Is this postpartum body!? WTF!? Really!?” The rhetoric even turned toxic, where some were criticising Ratajkowski for setting unrealistic standards for new mums.
“I’m hot as hell, hope this makes other new mum’s feel crap about their bodies,” wrote one commenter.
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If you’re familiar with Ratajkowski at all, you’ll know that she’s a slim person, pregnant or not (her midriff is legendary), and one woman’s ‘normal’ should not set standards for others.
“The concept of ‘bouncing back’ is an interesting one. Pregnancy is such a massive process that alters a woman physically, psychologically, and hormonally,” says Kate Kraschnefski, head of training at the Australian Institute of Fitness.
“Emily has a naturally smaller body, so purely looking at her shape, it appears she is looking similar to how she did pre-baby. Some would say she has ‘bounced back’ quickly, but just judging her by her external appearance is overly simplistic.”
It’s important to remember that every woman’s pregnancy and postpartum journey is different, says Kraschnefski, and Ratajkowski’s experience is unique to her. Of course, it’s not realistic for all women to look like that because “no two women are the same” and there are likely changes happening that you can’t see.
Comments on Ratajkowski’s post. Image: Instagram Source:BodyAndSoul
“The important thing to realise is that as long as mum and bub’s needs are being met, it’s normal and totally OK to achieve your new normal in your own way and on your own timeline,” says Kraschnefski.
On the topic of whether Ratajkowski is setting impossible standards for post-pregnancy, Kraschnefski believes every woman should feel free to express herself in any way she wants.
“Society in general puts women under pressure to look, feel and act in certain ways and likes to encourage us to compare. Because pregnancy causes a woman’s body to change so significantly over a set period of time, mothers are often put under scrutiny,” she says.
“If society had better structures in place to empower women in all stages of their lives, and had a broader acceptance of all body shapes, this wouldn’t even be a conversation.”
Kate Kraschnefski is head of training at the Australian Institute of Fitness. She has a bachelor of applied science, diploma of training design and development, and certificate III & IV in fitness.
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