Christen Goff’s “6 Months Postpartum” SI Shoot is just Bounce-Back Culture With Better PR
The “I’m six months postpartum💕” Sports Illustrated/bikini shoot posts are starting to feel like rebranded bounce-back culture and I’m tired of pretending they’re empowering.
And before people get dramatic this is not me saying women can’t feel confident postpartum. Obviously they can. If you want to do a swimsuit shoot after having a baby, cool.
But can we stop acting like these heavily edited magazine spreads are some authentic representation of postpartum bodies?
Because do you physically understand how insane it is for normal women online to see:
“this is me six months postpartum 🥹”
while the woman is standing there in a microscopic bikini with:
\- zero loose skin
\- zero visible stretch marks
\- zero texture
\- perfectly toned stomach
\- boobs sitting in perfect orbit
\- not a single sign that a human exited her body
Like please. Don’t bullshit me.
That image went through lighting, posing, makeup, retouching, body editing, skin smoothing, probably 400 selected shots, and an entire production team whose full-time job is making people look unreal.
And honestly, what bothers me most is the fake relatability of it all.
Because the caption is always framed like:
“mama bodies are beautiful 🥺”
while the actual image still fits the exact same impossible beauty standard women have been pressured by forever.
It’s basically:
“love yourself, ladies”
posts body that looks computer-generated
and yes, I genuinely think this messaging can be dangerous.
postpartum women are already vulnerable as hell physically and mentally. Your hormones are insane, your body is healing, you’re exhausted, emotional, sleep deprived, and trying to adjust to a massive life change.
then social media shoves this polished fantasy at women and attaches a postpartum timeline to it:
“3 months postpartum”
“6 months postpartum”
“snap back”
“bounce back”
people can say “just don’t compare yourself” all they want, but humans DO compare themselves. esp women who are already struggling with body image after pregnancy.
at minimum, there needs to be honesty:
“Yes, this is edited.”
“Yes, this is professionally retouched.”
“Yes, this is not what postpartum looks like for the overwhelming majority of women.”
bc presenting an airbrushed fantasy as casual reality is not empowerment. It’s marketing.
PS I know she’s one of those WAGS you can never criticize so I’m ready for the backlash.