Before getting into the “meat” of this post, I just wanted to apologize to all of our faithful fans for our long absence. We have both been so crazy busy but please rest assured that we still love cheeseburgers and still adhere to our cheeseburger rules!
On that note…
Have you ever noticed when reading magazine/tabloid articles about celebrity weight gain that they like to use the word “whopping?” Take this article for instance:
“In 2004, Milla Jovovich topped Forbes Magazine’s “Richest Supermodels of the World” list, but after putting on a whopping 70lbs while pregnant with her first child (she gave birth to a girl in November 2007) the stunner has had to sweat it out big-time to save her strutting career.”
What do they mean by whopping? Webster’s dictionary defines whopping as “something exceptionally or extremely large” and is often used as an intensive. So the language in articles like this one lead us to believe that Jovovich’s pregnancy weight gain was incredibly unusual and a really big deal. I’m not sure what a “normal” weight gain for pregnancy is (if there is such a thing) but after reading this article I would assume that 70lbs is simply unacceptable.
The article continues as Jovovich describes what she did to lose the weight:
“Diet and lots of exercise, I worked my big, little butt off,” Jovovich told Tarts at the recent Montblanc Signature for Good Gala at Hollywood’s Paramount Studios. “It’s been a lot of work and I’ve been working with Harley Pasternak and his 5-Factor program, they actually have diet food sent to my house. At one point I just ate oatmeal, salmon and artichokes everyday for a week. It was definitely a lot easier putting it on!”
I really can’t imagine what it would be like if I had to lose weight in order to keep my job. But I guess that’s what its like for an international supermodel (and celebrities in general). A huge part of post-partum recovery for these people is an intricate plan of how to lose the post-baby weight in as short amount of time as humanly possibly. I use the word human to refer to the title of this article “MILLA JOVOVICH BECAME A ‘CRAZY ALIEN’ TO LOSE 70LBS.” I think there is truth in this statement in that women who work to lose this much weight in a short period of time really have to alienate themselves in order to lose it. It becomes like a full-time job (and in Jovovich’s case, it really is part of her job).
When asked if she will be having any more children any time soon, Jovovich answers:
“I do want another baby but not for a little bit,” Jovovich said. “I’ve only just lost all the weight so I want to enjoy my old body for a while before I have to become a crazy alien again.”
Wow! Such a simple sentence can say so much.
I’m not saying that the pressure to get back to your pre-baby body isn’t real in our society today. I’m sure after I have a baby one day, I myself will struggle with the pull to try and manipulate my body back to it’s “normal” self. But to imply that doing so means isolating myself from people and being miserable for a period of time due to lack of food and crazy exercise, well, that just seems a bit extreme.
awesome blog! just ran across this cheeseburger shenanigans
great idea and twist. i am writing a book on how our everyday talk affects out ideas of health, food, and self acceptance. i am looking for memoir pieces, check out my book project, pas the word, and if you’re interested get in touch! abodyrevolution.wordpress.com emabce 
yay!!! you’re back!
ive been starvvvving for a good cheeseburger.
i dont get what the big deal is about ANOTHER celebrity gaining and losing baby weight. first of all, all women who have children go through the weight gain and loss cycle. its only natural. you carry around something for nine months that comes out weighing like 8lbs itself so HELLO you’re obviously going to weigh more before the thing comes out and less when it does.
celebrities dont need to be broadcasting how much they gained and how much they had to sacrifice to lose it. 1. we dont care- millions of women do it everyday whether you put on 20lbs or 70 during your pregnancy. thats the miracle of life. enjoy it. 2. its part of their job description, you want to be a model or a celebrity when u weigh 100lbs, then fine, but you dont deserve attention everytime you get back to weighing 100lbs. thats a personal decision you made– keep it that way!! no one puts me on the cover of a magazine for doing my job and sticking to personal choices ive made and i do just fine in life
thanks for the post– keep em coming!
i don’t have children and don’t plan to. i can’t imagine having a new baby, not getting any sleep, recovering from childbirth, feeding and clothing the baby, not having any time for myself, etc. AND feeling the need to lose all the baby weight right off the bat.
of course, i don’t think most celebrities take all the care of their babies. i’m sure a bevy of nannies do the feeding, the changing, the middle of the night feedings… i think angelina jolie has six nannies — one for each of her children.
in that case, if i wanted to, with the assist of my personal chef and personal trainer, i could whip the weight off.
sounds awful. and the strains of self-hatred sound a bit.
FYI, “Normal” weight gain during pregnancy is about 35 pounds.
I should note that my mom referred to gaining “like a million pounds” when she was pregnant with me, but actually she gained 30-35. In other words, she gained a totally normal amount but felt like she was larger than the moon. Gaining weight for any reason, even while CREATING AND SUPPORTING A LIFE, is wrong and immoral. Obviously.
Women who were underweight before pregnancy, or who had dieted to a lower weight than usual before becoming pregnant, tend to gain more weight while pregnant. This is pretty normal, as the body needs certain nutrients and fat reserves to, you know, function and create a healthy life. If Jovovich normally maintains a weight that is lower than her natural set point it is not at all surprising that she gained more than 35 pounds… especially if part of that maintenance involves strenuous exercise that she cut back on due to being pregnant.
It’s really sick that such a normal and healthy thing (gaining weight while pregnant) is castigated as immoral (are you good? did you stick to your diet? or did you binge and eat OMG a cookie!) and bad and wrong and above all UNHEALTHY (because all weight gain is unhealthy, duh). And the emphasis to lose weight after is really appalling.
Theodora Goss has a short story that involves a group of girls who learn magic one summer. One of them is constantly berated by her mom for being fat and is eternally put on one caloric restrictive diet after another. Her big magic spell/wish thing is to never ever ever gain weight/be fat. As an adult she wants kids and she is able to get pregnant but not sustain a pregnancy because that… involves gaining weight. Interesting story, and interesting commentary on women’s bodies and weight issues.
70 lbs is actually a large gain in pregnancy. Current weight gain recommendations for avg-size pregnant women is 25-35 lbs.
Women who are underweight prior to pregnancy are allowed to gain up to 40 lbs. Women who are underweight have higher rates of preemies, and low wt gain in particular is associated with that (and a little higher wt gain protective against it), so that’s why they get a little extra “allowance.”
But yeah, as Brigid noted above, if you keep yourself significantly under what would be your normal weight (as many models do), then often those women do have the highest gains in pregnancy.
And women who have just lost a lot of weight or women who are chronic dieters…..they often gain a LOT in pregnancy too. If the body views itself as being in a state of semi-starvation, then it lays down extra weight to help baby grow adequately and to provide plenty of energy for breastfeeding later.
So although her weight gain really is quite high, about double of what you are “supposed” to gain, it’s not that surprising, esp if she is underweight and has been living in chronic deprivation as some models do.
Now, keep in mind there is a movement afoot to lower the recommended weight gains for everyone. For avg-sized women, many now recommend only 25 lbs. (not 25-35).
Currently”overweight” women are only supposed to gain 15-25 lbs., and “obese” women are supposed to gain “at least” 15 lbs. They are considering revising these guidelines down to 0-15 lbs. for “obese” women and to lose weight or stay at no gain for “morbidly obese” women.
Don’t get me started on that idiocy!! I’ve blogged about it; you can read more details on my blog if you are interested in further examination of the topic.
I do feel sorry for pregnant celebs, who are judged so harshly on how quickly they lose weight and get back to “normal.” Really fast weight loss makes it hard to maintain a good milk supply, and breastfeeding is so important to the health of mom and baby.
And when do these poor women have time to be just moms? To let their bodies recover gradually from the tremendous changes of pregnancy and postpartum? And to just be with their babies without having to run off and work out all the time? What a pressure cooker to live with. Ugh.
But to imply that doing so means isolating myself from people and being miserable for a period of time due to lack of food and crazy exercise, well, that just seems a bit extreme.
It’s funny you should say this, because this is exactly what is expected way of life fat people should adopt, permanently.
You are so right to say it’s extreme, usually we don’t notice it because it’s become so validated by powerful interests and normalised. This is exactly how we should see it, as extreme.
There’s a reason why big bad hard criminals fear solitary confinement the most.
What fat people are expected to do is in a way worse, solitary confinement in the midst of others. The worst kind of loneliness.
Brigid, I’d love to ready that story if you have the title. It sounds really interesting. I have no real comment on the blog that hasn’t been said already. Thank you for posting it.
Oh, and I’m a Shapely Prose spillover
Soooo glad you’re back! The world needs u!
Firstly, let me say: LONG LIVE THE WHOPPER! WITH CHEESE! *hahaha!*
Regarding pregnancy and pregnancy-weight-gain/loss…I wonder why people make such a hullaballoo over womens’ weight before during and after pregnancy, and yet there’s an elephant in the room nobody *ever* mentions that I would think is even more important that “pregnancy weight”.
That’s right: vaginal elasticity.
“My stuff snapped right back after only 2 weeks!”
“Twins, ugh. I had to have stitches and I doubt I’ll ever be the same.”
“How Angelina Jolie got her pre-baby vagina back!”
Oh…your vajayjay is nobody else’s business, but your WEIGHT is….?….?
Just sayin’.
Great post regarding losing post pregnancy weight. Showing Mila Jojovich and how she dropped 70lbs of pregnancy weight may be an inspiration to other moms who are dealing with the same situation. Thanks for posting.