The above showed up on my Tumblr timeline this week. The reblogs and likes included comments like, "I can't believe she just had a baby!", "How can she look like that after giving birth!", "My goal is to look like Beyoncé", "Told you she was never pregnant!"
Why is it expected that a woman will look like a shell of her former self after giving birth? Yes, there will be changes in her body after pregnancy and childbirth but it's unusual for her to be "in shape" or "look good"? The way the body handles the changes (and trauma) of pregnancy varies from woman to woman. One factor that makes the "recovery" easier (and apparently, astonishing to some) is exercise.
Beyoncé was in great shape before she became pregnant. She joined the Let's Move! Initiative which encourages physical activity and educates on the importance of exercise. I'm assuming she remained active during and that exercise (dance, weights, yoga, whatever) will be a part of her life now that she's a mother. I hung out with a friend about 2 weeks after she gave birth and it didn't strike me as odd that she looked like she did before she got pregnant. Genetics do play a role, but activity is a huge part of it. She exercised on a regular basis for years before becoming a mother.
