Kim Kardashian gained a lot of weight during both of her pregnancies. I get the feeling that losing weight after her second pregnancy was a lot harder for her, but I also believe that Kim really wants this to be the last time that she bounces back. As in, Kim isn’t having any more babies. She doesn’t want to do that to her body again. Throughout her weight-loss journey, Kim has been posting essays to her subscription app, talking about body image and body confidence and how she hopes that other women find inspiration in her journey, if that’s what they want. She has a new piece this week about the same thing.
Regaining a positive body image: “Having a positive self-image has always been important to me because it affects so many aspects of my life: my work, my relationship with my husband and my life as a mom. After I had [North West], there was a part of me that was nervous about whether I’d be able to get back to anywhere near my pre-pregnancy weight and feel confident again, since I was now 50 pounds heavier. I knew I had to put in a lot of work, but I got there—it took me a good six or seven months. After 10 months, I felt like I was even better than before. I was curvier. I really felt like all the hard work paid off.”
The second pregnancy: “The second time around, it was easier for me to embrace the changes. I loved finding looks that showed off my pregnancy curves.” After Saint’s birth, she wrote, “I decided to set goals for myself. I was motivated, but it was tough! It isn’t easy to just bounce back.”
Jealousy & insecurity: “I was so jealous of women who had these cute little baby bellies and would gain 25 pounds—and then, a few weeks after giving birth, somehow look exactly like they did before they were pregnant. That’s not me.”
Kanye was there every step of the way: “I’m my own biggest critic, and Kanye is my biggest supporter. He always encourages me, and makes me feel confident about owning all my curves and showing them off.”
She hopes she’s a body-positive role model for North: “As North gets older, she’ll start to be more aware of herself and her body. Her attitude toward her body is directly related to my own, so it’s my responsibility to make sure she understands that positive body image comes from having a healthy self-esteem. We all have our hang-ups and things we might want to change, but my curves make me who I am. So I embrace my body and the changes I’ve gone through. If anything, those changes remind me of what I’m able to create with my body: two little angels that I love beyond words.”
The conversation about body image and what mothers pass on to their daughters is an interesting and complicated one for everyone, but let’s examine the Kim-North situation in particular. On the plus side, North will probably be curvy like her mom, and North will have seen her dad appreciate, respect and love her mom and her mom’s body, and that’s a good standard for any girl. On the plus side, Kim is right: if Kim loves, accepts and is proud of her body, that will be a positive influence on North. On the other side, I’ve always wondered what it’s like to grow up with a mother who messes with her face as much as Kim.
Kim also updated the world on her weight loss on Snapchat, claiming that she’s down to 125.4 lbs, and that she has 5 more pounds to go. And she said last Friday that another nude selfie is coming soon, so we better buckle up.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
