Forever a relatable queen, Blake Lively has opened up about why she felt “insecure” about her body after giving birth to her third child with husband Ryan Reynolds.
As many mums would know, the pressure to ‘bounce back’ after welcoming a child can feel incredibly overwhelming and near impossible—especially when your formerly go-to brands aren’t creating inclusive sizes, as Lively perfectly pointed out this week.
Taking to Instagram on January 29, the Gossip Girl alum kept things real, sharing a throwback photo just weeks after welcoming her third daughter, revealing that while she may have looked glamorous, she felt far from it at the time.
“I put together a @lanvinofficial shirt and dress from @netaporter to make this pretty outfit,” she captioned an Instagram Story from her January 2020 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “Because no one had samples that fit me after giving birth. And so many clothes from stores didn’t fit either. So. Many.”
She continued, “It doesn’t send a great message to women when their bodies don’t fit into what brands have to offer. It’s alienating and confusing. And I wish I felt as confident then as I do now, a year later looking back. That body gave me a baby. And was producing that baby’s entire food supply. What a beautiful miracle. But instead of feeling proud, I felt insecure. Simply because I didn’t fit into clothes. How silly is that in retrospect.”
The couple, who wed in 2012, welcomed their daughter, Betty, in October 2019. The longtime couple are also parents to six-year-old daughter James, and four-year-old daughter Inez.
Before signing off, Blake tagged Megababe founder Katie Sturino, who has called out brands for their lack of inclusive sizing in the past.
“@katiesturino and others are out there challenging brands to do better, helping women to not feel alone,” Lively added, “And she’s making meaningful progress. She reminds me, we all can ask for better from the brands we love.”
The day prior the 33-year-old actress posted a throwback to her post-pregnancy fashion.
Taking to her Instagram Stories from just months after welcoming daughter Betty, Lively was wearing a blue floral print dress under a cobalt Max Mara teddy coat for an appearance on Good Morning America.
“One year ago today,” she wrote. “Just had a baby. Hadn’t slept in forever. But earring game was single and ready to mingle.”
She tagged jewellery designer, Lorraine Schwartz, writing, “I’m coming back as your collection in my next life.”
If Lively’s throwbacks weren’t enough to prove just how much we love this Hollywood family, Reynolds recently opened up about why he believes his wife and daughters are real-life “superheroes”.
While promoting his new film The Croods: A New Age, the actor caught up with Mario Lopez’s children for Access Hollywood, sharing: “I come from all boys. I have three older brothers. I’m the youngest of four boys so for me to have three daughters has been such a ride. I love every second of it.”
And when asked if the women in his real-life family are “superheroes” like in his movie, Reynolds couldn’t help but gush about his wife and daughters.
“No joke, they are the most capable people I know,” he said. “If anything got crazy or scary in my life, they are the first people I would lean on because they have wisdom and strength and they’re calm under fire. They have courage under fire. That, to me sounds like a true story.”
