I imagine that a lot of the joys of pregnancy could be utterly ruined by the paparazzi. Living with the constant pregnancy rumors is annoying enough. It’s worse once you actually get pregnant and have to read all the commentary on your “bump watch.” I can’t explain why, but the whole “bump” thing annoys the crap out of me. I find it incredibly creepy. Being a pregnant celeb means everyone is chatting about your body and feels free to chime in about it. Whether you’re too big or too small, everyone’s got an opinion.
Actress Isla Fisher pointed out how unfair and upsetting this “body fascism” is.
Isla Fisher says she was stunned someone had said she packed on too many pounds when she was expecting.
“When I was pregnant, I remember someone wrote on a blog that I had gained too much weight,” she recalls in December’s Australian issue of FHM (via London’s Daily Mail). “I remember being really shocked that even during something as incredible and beautiful as pregnancy, you are still subject to body fascism.”
How did the 32-year-old actress — who welcomed daughter Olive with Sacha Baron Cohen in 2007 — shed the 55 lbs. she gained while pregnant? Not by going to the gym!
“I have never been a big fan of working out and I’ve never been a sporty person – I was always more of a book worm,” says the actress, who headlines the 2009 comedy Confessions of a Shopaholic.
“I know it sounds like a cliche, but I’ve been blessed with good genes,” she adds. “My mum is little, and I’m fortunate that I don’t like eating junk food. I just don’t like the taste of it.”
[From Us Weekly]
Carnie Wilson has also gotten a lot of heat for her pregnancy weight gain. She was featured in OK! on October 28th as a weight loss success story. A little over a month later she has put on a ton of weight and looks nothing like her former shape. But she’s freaking pregnant! It’s probably safe to assume that the OK! photoshoot took place a couple weeks before the pictures were published. And frankly, if nothing else, she doesn’t owe anyone an explanation for her weight. Everyone’s body does different things when they’re pregnant. Some women look like the baby is bigger than they are, whereas others have tiny little bumps. It’s just the way it is.
I’d seriously suggest that all pregnant celebrities stay away from the tabloids (and the internet) until well after they give birth.
Here’s Isla on the cover of FHM and playing with daughter at the park on October 14th. Header at the “Hot Rod” premiere on July 26th, 2007. Images thanks to Fame.
Because nothing says “Take that, Body Fascists!” like a photo shoot with FHM? 🙄
Don’t get me wrong, I agree with her words. I hate when people get all judgy about pregnant women. But perhaps FHM Mag isn’t really the best forum for such feminist musings on body image.
Kaiser, I totally agree, that’s exactly what I was thinking. I mean, look at the way she’s posing in those shots. If you’re going to do that, what do you expect? The thing that sucks is, it must be so hard to turn down. Especially when it’s probably presented like, ‘hey, just relax and have some fun, poke fun at the idea of posing provacatively’ or ‘just show them that smart women are sexy too’ 🙄
hahaha! Yeah, I agree with K, too. I did a double take when I saw the source was an FHM article.
“Don’t judge me on my body! Meanwhile, check out my gams in this shot here….”
Agree with all of you. Celebrities are so clueless sometimes it truly boggles the mind.
Isla looked great pregnant and looks great now. The problem with Carnie Wilson is that the only reason she’s ever in the news is because of her weight, how much she’s gained or lost most recently. The fact that she’s pregnant is irrelevant.
does she expect us to believe she got this body by sitting home reading books? bitch, please.
Ten years ago, Isla used to be a regular at FHM. I think she knows that you don’t pose there to prove that smart women are hot. You pose there to get attention when your a 20-something “starlet.” She needs to generate interest in her movie–probably because it’s not too good. This is a real step back for her in my opinion. I thought that up and coming young starlets had to do that, but babymamas of A-listers or actresses with real careers were immune.
I think she was the cutest prego.
Newsflash to Isla… if people talk about celebrity figures pre- and post-pregnancy, what makes you think they’re going to give you a hiatus during pregnancy?
her baby has a huge head… 😯
Sadly, that picture of her squatting is airbrushed to all hell. She’s missing a foot, the creases are unnatural.
gotta agree with the whole air of hypocrisy here. actresses trade on their bodies ALL the time; in fact, it is often the only thing they are known for or at least most famous for. you don’t get to shut that off when it stops working for you or when you think you’ve used it to the extent that you can.
She and Kate Beckinsale should go bowling together.
“I hate my body! I’m going to take my clothes off now and fellate an ice cream cone! God, why does everyone care so much about body image? Tell me I’m hot and you want to screw me!”
Annoying. Keep fishing, ladies.
Sorry, I’m not paying attention to the story as I’m trying to get my head around the fact that she’s in her 30s – she’ll always be the little red-haired moppet off Home & Away to me
Maybe she’s trying to comment on the ridiculous pressure placed on women – famous or otherwise. People seem to think they have free reign to comment on the choices of young mothers and fathers.
The expectation that all pregnant women “should” look the way Nicole Kidman did throughout her pregnancy – or aspire to lose the weight as quickly as Heidi Klum did – is patently absurd. Regardless of Isla Fisher’s occupation, it’s a valid criticism.
@Kate- It is very possible that she didn’t hit the gym to lose all that weight. I gained 30 lbs. during pregnancy, lost 20 of it in 4 weeks and the rest when my son was 5 mos. old and I never hit the gym once. It is POSSIBLE that she has good genes and like her, I don’t eat junk food either. Some people have to work really hard at keeping “slim” but why is Isla lying when she says she doesn’t work out?
she has to do everything possible to promote her movie coming out ‘confessions of a shopaholic’ because the producers are terrified it is going to just flop in this economy and the subject matter just hits a flat note since it couldnt be more discordinant with what people are feeling and facing. they were even considering rewriting and reshooting the end of the movie to reflect the current recession and have something happen to her character to come to some realization about material items, or some such didactic ending. so they are in heavy promotion mode. and I agree with kaiser, for the record.
I think she looked great when she was preg. I understand what she means by people constantly making points about you when your pregnant though. Absolutely everyone regardless if you know them or not seems to feel they have to comment on your belly, hell even tough your belly. I was constantly getting remarks about how small mine was (at 5′ and 105- gaining 15 lbs and having a tiny bump was a godsend to me personally..oh and I lost it all and never stepped foot in a gym- oooo thin bitch me). I’m a misanthrope and the last thing I wanted was people constantly reviewing my progress through pregnancy- it was really non of their damned business.
Mairead- I know what you mean 🙂 I used to love Home & Away back in the day, far better than Neighbours.
She lies about not working out because if a “feminist” like her would admit it it would sound inconsistent. Same as Kate Whatever-her-last-name-is. They want to look good AND intelligent by lying.. they don’t realise that they don’t do EITHER.
Every picture I’ve seen of her pregnant show her wearing ultra-tight, thin tops and dresses. This is why she “looked fat”. They make these things called maternity clothes. They’re designed for the comfort of both the mother and the baby. Explore this concept, Isla.
Isla has a very valid point. While actresses do put their bodies out there to be scrutinized (as she does in FHM), something as incredibly personal and private like a pregnancy should be left the hell alone. And who is anyone to say that she “gained too much weight”? Unless they know her personally enough to know exactly how much she weighed before and how much weight she gained, they have no business commenting on it.
Pregnancy should be off-limits in terms of the weight gain guessing game.
It’s not just actresses though. My friend said that when she started, total strangers suddenly felt free, and sometimes even *entitled*, to put their hands on her body. If she told them to stop touching her some of them got quite upset! Apparently being pregnant makes your body suddenly public property..
she looked great then and now. its so obnoxious of tabliods (and others) to comment on a star’s weight gain during pregnancy…that is the time you should be able to pack it on without ANY guilt!
and she looks great now so why shouldnt she show it off? i would! and im sure you all would too. 🙄
“Pack it on without guilt?” Ugh. Some of us find the ballooning and the “I’m eating for two” BS a bit disgusting.
And you wonder why most women never get their pre-pregnancy bodies back.