Kirsten Dunst Opens Up About Loving Her Post-Baby Body
The actress says she hasn’t exercised since her baby was born
Last year, Kirsten Dunst, who we’ve known and loved since her childhood actress days, became a brand new mom. But in a bit of a surprising interview (at least from a famous Hollywood movie star), she revealed that she hasn’t done the typical Hollywood thing of rushing to return to her pre-baby size.
Dunst says that she hasn’t bothered hitting the gym at all since she gave birth last May. “The benefit of growing up with celebrity,” she said in an interview with Net-a-Porter, “is that I have a very healthy perspective of being an actress. I haven’t worked out once since I had my baby. I’m not one of those people who says, ‘Ohhh I have to get my abs back.'”
Did anyone else just say “screw it” and unbutton their top button? Okay, well if not, I think we can all agree that it’s pretty refreshing to hear either way from one of the most well-known actresses around.
I mean, Hollywood is obsessed with bodies. But more often than not, ideas about postpartum bodies and what they should look like bleeds into our cultural idea of normal, too. New moms absorb it all the time, even moms who don’t have to get photographed all day long or appear on red carpets looking flawless. The pressure still exists. We think we need to get fit right away because God-forbid we actually look like we had a baby. So, we hustle. We kill ourselves at the gym. We diet. Whether it’s healthy…or not.
Truth be told, embracing your more-voluptuous-just-grew-a-tiny-human-frame isn’t something we see that much of. Especially in Hollywood. And it’s hella important to see it once in a while from celebs. Not only is it nice to actually see famous women with a few extra pounds hanging around after they have babies (TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY NORMAL BTW), it’s even nicer to hear them talk about how they are okay with it, instead of being ashamed by it.
“I feel like I’ve established myself as an actress,” Dunst said. “I have a healthy amount of vanity that hasn’t tipped into something really destructive. I want to find parts where I don’t have to be that person, and I have plenty of role models. Look at Patricia Arquette.” Amen to that.
Good for Kirsten for not allowing Hollywood to dictate what her body should or shouldn’t look like. But truthfully, it seems like she has enough to worry about. She has a new baby and a new role to play. She doesn’t have the time or energy to obsess about a body. So, instead of focusing on shedding pounds, she says, she shed clothes instead.
“I want to look nice for how I look now. There was a time when I was like, ‘Shit! I don’t fit into anything anymore.’ I just bought clothes in the size I am now,” she says. “I don’t care.”
Like most moms, Dunst says going back to work was incredibly challenging. “I cried to my mother-in-law in the second week,” she said. “It was the hardest job I’ve ever taken, right after five months off with a baby. I was so tired. I would bring home a tuna sandwich from the craft services table. I would take a bath, and then eat my sandwich in bed while I read the pages and learned lines for the next day.” The struggle is real. But according to Dunst, the postpartum weight loss struggle doesn’t have to be part of it. Thank goodness.
Congrats Kirsten on being a mom and an actress who makes the rules for her own body. It helps pave the way for us regular (but also amazing) moms to be comfortable in our skin, too.
