Let’s cut straight to the chase…. Chrissy Teigen is just an awesome human being. From mummy struggles to shutting down bullies this woman is our kind of girl!
Teigen is a modern celebrity in every sense of the word. The model, who has graced the pages of various magazines including Sports Illustrated and been embraced by the world of television, is almost as famous for her Twitter feed as she is her professional accomplishments. She is the type of A-lister that the public have come to love in this day and age- the woman who isn’t afraid to voice her opinion, be herself and keep things real despite her high profile. Teigen is anything but shy when it comes to giving her two cents worth about politics, firing back at internet trolls and discussing her journey to and through motherhood.
Last week, Glamour magazine released an essay penned by Teigen about one of the few areas of her life that she has not been so candid about…her battle with postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter to husband John Legend, Luna. Every major celebrity news source ran the story almost immediately after it appeared on the magazine’s website, as it seemed inconceivable to an outsider how this woman who seemingly has it all could fall victim to this illness.
However, with what would have been an undeniably terrifying confession for Teigen to make, she has once again given women and mothers everywhere a reason to look up to and admire her. Teigen is the hero we all need when making it through that first daunting year of parenthood. She is obviously a loving mother to her daughter, but is also not afraid to admit that motherhood is not a walk in the park! Her candid admittance of mum-realities makes her extremely relatable to women to us all. Not only is she the kind of woman we’d like to be mates with (and wildly entertaining), there are also valuable lessons we can all learn from Teigen’s words.
Here’s four times Chrissy Teigen has been a champion for modern mums!
[mc_block_title custom_title=”#1. Speaking out about the realities of postpartum depression”]
Again, the essay Teigen recently wrote for Glamour must have been an incredibly emotional task and taken a great deal of courage to write. However, everything about this essay was inspiring and humble. Postpartum depression is an illness that effects one in nine women who are about to give birth (despite the confusing title) or have just given birth, rearing its ugly head in many different ways. However, one common feature among women who experience it is the overwhelming feeling of guilt and shame. Teigen addresses this in her essay:
“I also just didn’t think it could happen to me. I have a great life. I have all the help I could need: John, my mother (who lives with us), a nanny. But postpartum does not discriminate. I couldn’t control it. And that’s part of the reason it took me so long to speak up: I felt selfish, icky, and weird saying aloud that I’m struggling. Sometimes I still do.”
Teigen’s words could have been spoken by any of us. In this essay, she has never been more relatable nor more endearing for the same reason. The illness could latch onto anyone-it doesn’t matter who we are or how much we love our children…and it does NOT mean we love our children any less.
[mc_block_title custom_title=”#2. Getting real about losing baby weight”]
Praise be to Chrissy Teigen! Finally somebody spoke up about the reality of losing those few extra kilos after having a baby and the reality that celebrities have a lot of help that isn’t readily available to the average woman.
While many celebrities drop the pounds and are happy to accept praise without truly acknowledging how much help behind the scenes they have actually had, Teigen was sublimely eager to remind women not to be so hard on themselves.
Worried about those few extra pounds you can’t seem to get rid of? Relax and don’t read into seeing the likes of Kim Kardashian bounce back with a banging post-baby body. That’s not reality…whether they like to admit it or not.
[mc_block_title custom_title=”#3. Calling out judgemental mothers the way we all wish we could”]
It’s not just judgemental mothers, but judgemental people in general Teigen has no problem in firing back at. While the large majority of celebrities who use social media tend to let the haters hate, Teigen lets them feel her wrath and we love watching her do it. So when people criticize her parenting style…hell hath no fury like Chrissy Teigen.
The mummy shaming started only days after Luna was born when Teigen and Legend were spotted having dinner with one another….without the baby! Oh, the horror! She later addressed the criticism on Good Morning America stating that her and her husband were only gone for an hour and “happy mummy, happy daddy, happy baby”
One Twitter follower also dared to challenge Teigen for the way she was photographed carrying baby Luna. For me, this was the perfect example of everyday judgement that is passed on mothers. This photo was a snapshot in time of Teigen carrying Luna and we can all relate to the way our children tend to slip down our bodies when you initially had them in the perfect hold to begin with. Mummy shamers will latch onto the smallest details without knowing the whole story and judge wonderful mothers because they feel some sort of power and right to do so. Despite her high profile, Teigen had no problem in responding to the tweet from user @uVuyoh on October 19 2016 of “This is not how you hold a baby!” with “really because that is how I’m f**king holding her”
Yes…I wish I had the same courage to call people out like that!
[mc_block_title custom_title=”#4. Breaking down misconceptions about infertility”]
Back in September 2015, Teigen revealed on Tyra Banks’ lifestyle show, FABLife that she and Legend were having problems trying to start a family. As Luna was born in April 2016, Teigen would have been pregnant during this interview and as a result, would have only just started to feel comfortable with talking about this aspect of her life knowing that the light at the end of the tunnel was coming into view.
However, the pain was not far enough behind her for her to forget how it felt in the time leading up to her pregnancy and, once again, her words spoke volumes to women around the world who were going through the same thing:-
This is ALWAYS something to keep in mind when speaking to people who want children, but have yet to fall pregnant. I was so glad to hear Teigen say this as I have seen too many of my friends hurt by insensitive comments such as this, and someone with a high profile needed to be the one to point this out.
Earlier this year, a Twitter user also dared to question Teigen’s reliance on IVF by saying “Did you give it a minute to try naturally or are you avoiding ‘the act’?”
Teigen sassily responded with “Thanks for asking, you complete witch, I tried for about nine years. Anything else, let me know!”
Fertility is an extremely touchy subject for many and this is nothing new. It always has been, but the difference is now we have ways to concur infertility and have a happy ending, as Teigen and Legend have found.
Thank God for Chrissy Teigen….the shamer of mummy shamers and champion for all the mothers out there! We salute you!
