१० मे, २०१९

"Meghan showed the world something that many of her royal predecessors have covered up: what a woman’s body looks like a mere 48 hours after birth."

"Her simple and understated white dress did not hide what her body had gone through. A simple belt tied high above her waist, in fact, seemed to be an intentional signal. It was as if she was saying to the world, 'Hey, I told you you’d have to wait a couple of days before you could see me, and this is what I look like. This is what happens to a woman’s body...' It was the first thing I noticed about the photos, actually, and in our office chat about this important breaking news, one of my colleagues, who is also a mother, was the first person I heard really put to words the power of the image. It felt refreshing and validating, to both of us, to see a high-profile woman reflect the reality of a postpartum body."

From "The subtle but important message Duchess Meghan is sending new moms about giving birth" by By Madhulika Sikka (in WaPo).

Yes, it really was surprising and daring. I wonder how many people who haven't given birth have any idea this is the reality: You still look pregnant after you have a baby. I didn't know that until I had a baby myself. There's an immense coverup, and thanks to the Duchess for being out and proud. That was nice and helpful!

७६ टिप्पण्या:

ccscientist म्हणाले...

So amazing that these days admitting things about reality makes you brave--not a dig at our host. So many live in a fantasy land.

RK म्हणाले...

the reality of a postpartum body

Yes, more incentive for women not to have children. Maybe the reality was always hidden by hopeful grandmothers.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent म्हणाले...

Thanks to my wife or any other of the zillions of mothers I’ve met in my life for being “out and proud”. Screw “the Duchess”. You buy into some of the silliest shit, Althouse. (Not to go all ST, natch.)

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

You may have seen some family members or friends dealing with this, but have you ever seen someone you didn't know, someone who posed for a publicity photograph, and looked like that? I haven't!

Link to something if you can. If you can't, my point is proved.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

There is no racial topic here. I will delete.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM म्हणाले...

and kudos to out-and-proud congressman Jerry Nadler, for showing off his post-
stomach reduction surgery bod.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent म्हणाले...

It’s the nature of the “someone” that makes it ridiculous. Ooh, look, a Duchess. You must be joking.

Wince म्हणाले...

I wonder how many people who haven't given birth have any idea this is the reality...

So, it's like when I've weighed myself before and after a huge crap.

No change in weight.

Seriously, what's up with that?

Be म्हणाले...

What I found stunning was the couple showing up so soon after, Husband with baby in hand, Wife accompanying him, tired, Still Bloated, but happy. Both of them Together with their New Born.


MayBee म्हणाले...

Kate Hudson is one celebrity I can think of who gained a lot of weight during pregnancy, and showed it in public afterward.

It has always bothered me that most celebrities show up really thin soon after giving birth, and the press lauds them. That shouldn't be the goal, and we never know exactly what celebrities do to get so thin in just a few short weeks.

Her is Kate Middleton right after giving birth. She has a pooch for sure, but she is just a thinner woman than Markle. I don't know how much Markle gained.

MayBee म्हणाले...

For me, I was thinking, "ugh! Who wants to toddle around in heels right after having a baby??"

H म्हणाले...

Do women know the extent to which their husbands think they are beautiful: beautiful as young svelte girls; beautiful as pregnant rolly-polly mothers to be; beautiful as new mothers with whatever forms are accommodating to post-pregnancy birth?

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"Kate Hudson is one celebrity I can think of who gained a lot of weight during pregnancy, and showed it in public afterward."

That looks like practically nothing. To my eye, she's showing that she looks great. She may have some extra fat, but she doesn't look 8 months pregnant.

"Her is Kate Middleton right after giving birth. She has a pooch for sure, but she is just a thinner woman than Markle. I don't know how much Markle gained."

A big difference is that Kate is holding the baby, including with a long blanket hanging down. That's the classic, easy way to hide the large protrusion. Yes, you can see a bit of it. But Harry is holding the baby, and Meghan is standing fully on view and with a belt fastened above the belly. That's an out-and-proud quality I have not seen in any other celebrity.

My challenge remains.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"Do women know the extent to which their husbands think they are beautiful: beautiful as young svelte girls; beautiful as pregnant rolly-polly mothers to be; beautiful as new mothers with whatever forms are accommodating to post-pregnancy birth?"

No. You really ought to tell them.

MayBee म्हणाले...

My challenge remains.

Well, Kate Hudson is 2 months post partum there.

And Kate Middleton simply looks to not have gained as much weight as Markle. Markle's face looks pregnancy puffy. Your challenge only remains because Markle is bigger. That's not bad on Markle, but it's what the pictures show.

MayBee म्हणाले...

Here are different angles of Kate Middleton and William.

rehajm म्हणाले...

She’s probably sad you noticed.

stevew म्हणाले...

"No. You really ought to tell them."

I did, at the appropriate time.

Who was Meghan's intended audience, "the world" is overly broad and vague. I think she was showing the people who are obsessed with a person's appearance.

MayBee म्हणाले...

I do think there is almost nothing sweeter than seeing a new dad hold his baby.

MayBee म्हणाले...

Here is William holding the baby, and Kate with her hands down under her post-pregnancy pregnant-looking belly.

MayBee म्हणाले...

The WaPo story is wrong. They should have just applauded Meghan for daring to gain weight during her pregnancy.

tcrosse म्हणाले...

Meghan is an employee of the British public, and has just discharged one of the requirements of the job, i.e. to produce heirs to the throne, and to show herself to the People. Mission accomplished, to coin a phrase.

Fen म्हणाले...

"This is what happens to a woman’s body..."

Always with the passive language that shifts responsibility about the choices women make with their bodies. As if this was done to her against her will.

"to see a high-profile woman reflect the reality of a postpartum body."

SMH at spoiled American women and their 1st world problems. Pretty sure every villager in Badera Somolia already knows this...

Ice Nine म्हणाले...

Well, having never been pregnant or postpartum, I can't say categorically that it is rubbish but I've been around bunches of such women and I've never heard of this. You're supposed to be ashamed of having a two-day postpartum body two days after giving birth to a freakin' baby?! This strikes me as some celebrity "bravery" journalism palaver, frankly. If it's not, if this is a real deal, that is some sick shit right there.

tcrosse म्हणाले...

Let us leave talk of stretch marks for another day.

Automatic_Wing म्हणाले...

Women Now Empowered By Everything A Woman Does

Ralph L म्हणाले...

US magazine weighs in on this controversy

Kate was out there before the day after birfing one of hers.

I can't believe Harry let Meghan run around in 4" stilettos while pregnant.

Narayanan म्हणाले...

Isn't gaining weight during pregnancy first world phenomenon?

buwaya म्हणाले...

Its a problem with modern mass media celebrity and the public image created by the camera.

Before television, before paparazzi, a Duchess would be seen by her servants and family, and most likely she entertained visitors, even in her post-partum condition. She almost certainly would have had a lot of visitors. A baby was very important.

Indeed, at some points giving birth, for a Duchess, was a near public event, with dozens of witnesses.

There would not have been some public image though, for the benefit of the masses, other than the woman in person.

Sebastian म्हणाले...

"There's an immense coverup, and thanks to the Duchess for being out and proud."

WTF? All of humanity has known about this covered-up fact for all of our collective existence.

Ralph L म्हणाले...

People mag:
"Kate Middleton only gave birth to her third child a few hours ago — but she is already back at home at Kensington Palace. She left the hospital just seven hours after giving birth. [That's the red dress photo]

But why does Kate make such a quick exit from the hospital? Well, in the U.K., it isn’t very unusual. In the U.S., new mothers average two days in the hospital before heading home. However, in the U.K., new moms average a day and a half — the shortest postpartum hospital stays of any high-income country, according to a 2016 article in The Guardian. Though Kate did spent the night after giving birth to Prince George in 2013, she left less than 10 hours after welcoming Princess Charlotte in 2015."

Phil 314 म्हणाले...

Showing her episiotomy. Now that would be brave.

Molly म्हणाले...

(eaglebeak)

Not trying to rain on Meghan's parade here, but any woman who's ever had a baby and any man who's ever had a woman (forgive my old-fashioned patriarchal language) who's had a baby knows that you look a lot different post-partum

And for most women, you never get back to pre-pregnancy "normal."

Curiously, in this treatment

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a25932911/meghan-markle-post-birth-appearance-differences-comparison-kate-middleton/,

Kate Middleton looks more pregnant post-partum than her sister-in-law. So there's one well-known woman I can think of who outdoes Meghan in the still-looks-pregnant sweepstakes-

etbass म्हणाले...

Does any man care about this?

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

“Here is William holding the baby, and Kate with her hands down under her post-pregnancy pregnant-looking belly.”

Thanks for those. I approve and I think it took nerve. Those are candid shots, not the formal, official portrait though.

Browndog म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Francisco D म्हणाले...

Does any man care about this?

No, but we are trying to be sensitive.

Browndog म्हणाले...

Blogger Browndog said...

Oh, for fucks sake!

You're telling me, and men, and the world, that she's some kind of hero for having a body after childbirth, that ALLLL men witness, and no one in the history of the world cared about until some childless chick that runs a magazine (Vogue-back in the 70's)thought it unseemly?

Enough with the victim/hero complex of just being a woman already.

Fuck.

wwww म्हणाले...

I loved how her dress tied at an empire waist to emphasize her bump. She looked lovely.

etbass म्हणाले...

I feel like I just walked into the wrong bathroom by mistake.

MayBee म्हणाले...

Thanks for those. I approve and I think it took nerve. Those are candid shots, not the formal, official portrait though.

Hahahahhahaha!!
Official portrait? Come on. The issue was whether Meghan Markle showed something the other royals had hidden from public view.
The only difference is that Megan is bigger than Kate.

In fact, I just looked at your link and it says:
Giving birth is scary and hard and exhausting and emotional and joyous and, yes, life-changing, and everyone deals with it differently. By revealing the post-birth baby bump to the world, Meghan, and Kate before her, sends a message to all new mothers: Your body will take time to recalibrate after you give birth, and in the meantime, whether you’re a member of the royal family or not, don’t feel the need to hide it.

So even your article recognizes Kate did the same thing. And earlier!

MayBee म्हणाले...

And by asking about official portrait, I mean, there is no official portrait in either case. Kate left the hospital a day after giving birth, knowing the press would be there. Meghan appeared to the press 36 hours after giving birth. Meghan is bigger. That's the difference. It's ok. I was bigger than Kate after giving birth, too.

etbass म्हणाले...

Next is the cafe post and mucho you know who. Another chance to be saved.

Mrs. X म्हणाले...

What I love about Meghan is her new, totally and completely real English accent.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

Who cares how she looks.

Wince म्हणाले...

Dr. Sapirstein said it’s normal to loose weight during pregnancy.

Barry Dauphin म्हणाले...

9 Celebrities Who Know "Bouncing Back After Baby" Is BS — and Proved It With Honest Postbaby Pics

iowan2 म्हणाले...

So maybe it's different out here in rural small town flyover country. Growing up seeing women a couple of days after is something I remember...remember my mom telling me to keep my mouth shut about the mothers appearance, and the baby is ALWAYS beautiful.

So my guess is the discussion is about what we don't do in polite company. Yes those that live public lives always present themselves as they think the public sees them. This is busting that norm.

Wait...Megan Markel, not a Royal, married into Royalty, does not act like royalty.

Reminds me of a certain someone that has a job of a politician, but does not act like a politician because they aren't a politician. Busting norms

Birches म्हणाले...

You know I didn't think showing the belly was brave, it was wearing something white...

traditionalguy म्हणाले...

Kate is the Queen in waiting. Markle is a bit player in the "Royal family"play that must go on.

n.n म्हणाले...

This obsession with natural functions and states has a distinctly medical or fetish quality. Like pornography to leering eyes. The "fetus" label outside of a laboratory or abortion chamber. Sex education ostensibly to supplement biology. Do women, some women, look at another woman in a less than optimal condition as a means to equalization, status progression, or something altogether weird?

Jupiter म्हणाले...

Oh, shut up.

truth speaker म्हणाले...

What a load of garbage.

n.n म्हणाले...

You know I didn't think showing the belly was brave

What will impress is if Harry treats Meghan and son with the love and care of a husband and father, if Meghan and Harry reconcile their priorities to raise their child together, if Meghan invests the effort to restore her former condition and appearance. Otherwise, it's Mother Nature's order, Meghan is human, there are no surprises, right? Most people see their child and appreciate the implications without further inquiry. Congratulations Meghan and Harry. Welcome, baby, to our world.

Beth B म्हणाले...

I don't know about the post-baby bump show, but the little pump heels she was wearing were probably a mistake. She was walking rather unsteadily, as if it hurt like hell and she couldn't wait to go sit on a pillow. It was painful to watch.

James K म्हणाले...

“That's an out-and-proud quality I have not seen in any other celebrity.”

Maybe this seems novel and brave and daring to people who’s sense of reality comes from People magazine, but to anyone in the normal, real world, it’s utterly mundane. If you’ve given birth, if your wife or a friend’s wife gave birth, if you have young enough siblings that you saw and remember your mother after she gave birth, this is about as newsworthy as older people having gray hair.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

No mystery to me- I have three younger siblings.

William म्हणाले...

Some of them are eyesores but, to the best of my knowledge, none of the royals in recent times have pigged out and become obese. In former times that was one of the royal perogatives, but I guess that's gone the way of divine right. She'll lose her baby bump in short order. Who wants to be known as the fat one?

Biff म्हणाले...

The thing that struck me the most about the pictures was how many of them featured Harry holding the baby or Meghan looking on and/or having her arm around Harry. Normal stuff for everyday folks, but a bit of a gender reversal for the traditional staging of these sorts of royal photos.

Crazy World म्हणाले...

Whatever,,,,,,I rode my bike 3 miles to the beach with my friends and jumped off the wall on Pacific Coast Highway and gave birth the next morning watching I love Lucy.

exhelodrvr1 म्हणाले...

"coverup"

Maybe for celebrities, but not for us deplorables!

Cath म्हणाले...

Birches, that was my thought too!

Nichevo म्हणाले...

1. Paywall, only got a glimpse
2. Not that bad
3. Duh/Who cares
4. Your: "Thanks for those. I approve and I think it took nerve. Those are candid shots, not the formal, official portrait though." is rather No True Scotsman.

Jaq म्हणाले...

Men don’t comment on baby bumps because first and foremost, they don’t bother us, we hardly notice them in a woman we love, and second, if we actually did give it a thought, we would understand that our wives are sensitive about it. So I guess that makes us insensitive sexists! I simply don’t remember my wife’s baby bumps for either child.

People are their own most tireless tormenters.

stlcdr म्हणाले...

No, it’s not brave, noble or anything like that. It’s an entertainment media promo. Unless you live in a lala land, most people know that a mother after birth isn’t going to spring back to size 8 (or whatever).

What’s amazing is that we live in such an Information Age, and and people are so ill informed about the realities of life. There seems to be ‘pride in ignorance’ effect.

glenn म्हणाले...

Megan is so beautiful it doesn’t make a bit of difference.

Jaq म्हणाले...

You know what Harry is thinking? “Five weeks, five days, and I can have me some of that again!"

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"Your: "Thanks for those. I approve and I think it took nerve. Those are candid shots, not the formal, official portrait though." is rather No True Scotsman."

No. I set a standard that had that limit when I first asked for another example. I wrote: "You may have seen some family members or friends dealing with this, but have you ever seen someone you didn't know, someone who posed for a publicity photograph, and looked like that? I haven't! Link to something if you can. If you can't, my point is proved."

So: posed for a publicity photograph — that excluded paparazzi stuff, caught on the street.

RigelDog म्हणाले...

I saw another picture of Meghan the day they left the hospital and immediately noticed the still-pregnant look. I thought, wow, she's wearing an outfit that highlights her belly and that has to be deliberate. While I don't think her decision is brave per se, it's welcome. I didn't know that I would still look 5-6 months pregnant after having my first baby, and that made me feel very sad, like there was something especially wrong with me, like I had something to apologize for. I can still remember the outfit I wore about 4 months later when I first had my normal body back, and what a relief that was.

SGT Ted म्हणाले...

Its amazing how empty headed gossip and tabloid style infotainment is now considered news and hard hitting cultural analysis by alleged professionals.

Toxic femininity, I think.

MadisonMan म्हणाले...

Here are different angles of Kate Middleton and William.

And these are definitely posed-for-publicity photos. The one from the side certainly shows the pooch.

Kate Middleton had very difficult pregnancies morning-sickness-wise. It does not surprise me that she gained not much weight.

paminwi म्हणाले...

Maybee: you are totally correct that Kate Middleon show her pooch in public after having her children.
That Althouse thinks those pictures are not for publicity is crazy.
Just because they weren't posed for 1 professional photographer is a bullshit reason to say it didn't happen for publicity.

FIDO म्हणाले...

Sigh.

The Feminine Mystique is a real and powerful thing. But it requires a bit of putty and paint, a bit of things unsaid, and unrevealed, the idea that lingerie is far more powerful than nudity.

Some women want to shove the ugly reality into everyone's faces and then hate on the people when the ugliness causes even a pause.


Ugly is not beauty. Truth is not beauty. Beauty is beauty. Trust me, as a man married for a quarter of a century, that ugly comes out. But willfully disarming oneself of that mystique...this girl is a moron, thinking she is still impressing her gender studies fellow students.


One can't be royal AND coarse and common. Certainly not as someone marrying well above her rank.

Princess Di had TRUCK LOADS of flowers at her funeral. Would this woman even have someone remember her name?

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

So what's still in there: the baby's luggage, or is that all the pickles and ice cream?

MayBee म्हणाले...

So: posed for a publicity photograph — that excluded paparazzi stuff, caught on the street.

But it was posed for publicity! At a certain time, they went to a certain spot in the front of the hospital, where the sidewalk was cordoned off for the press, and helicopters were flying overhead (I lived just a few blocks away at the time), and William pulled his car up with the police blocking off the road, and they did a "leaving the hospital" moment for the press. They posed for pictures. The press didn't just happen to catch them leaving the hospital!!

MayBee म्हणाले...

I do agree that our tastemakers like to pretend that women who are pregnant just have a tiny bump, and women who have just had a baby fit into their Oscar gowns. I think that's what years of tv shows with fake pregnant women and stars with fragile egos have put out into the general zeitgeist.

So in that way, I kind of like this article. I don't think new mothers should feel pressure to be a size 0 three weeks after giving birth.

But it isn't a secret that women still look several months pregnant after birth. And this author (unlike Althouse) acknowledges Kate along with Meghan for looking pregnant in their photo ops, like real people do. I think the author is wrong about Diana and her flowy dress. In that case, I think a young author mistakes a change in fashion for a "hiding" a bump. The body-hugging clothing for any stage of maternity is new-er, like 20 years or so. The fashion wasn't to wear body con dresses, or dresses that were tight everywhere, or dresses that were slim everywhere but the belly. Diana was wearing the flowy dress *because* she still had a bump.