Chrissy Teigen is tired of talking about her weight (and so are we)

She’s not one to hide her postpartum body, but that doesn’t mean Chrissy Teigen doesn’t think about her weight and how it has changed since becoming a mother. We all think about these things, but most of us are not former swimsuit models turned cookbook authors who are in the celebrity spotlight. That combination of careers and attention has meant Teigen has had to deal with near-constant speculation and shaming about her weight since becoming a mom.

Back in 2018 the internet was shaming Teigen for her “mom bod” and for gaining 20 pounds after welcoming her second child, Miles. Now, in 2020, internet commenters are shaming her for being “too skinny.”

Teigen just can’t win, because our culture still doesn’t let any woman be at peace with her body. Teigen is sick of it and so are we.

Recently, after Teigen posted a bikini selfie on Instagram a commenter said she looked like she either “dropped 50 lbs overnight or has cancer.” Teigen, who is known for clapping back at the trolls, responded “What would you prefer?”

Teigen’s body is her own and she doesn’t owe anyone an explanation of how it changes or whether she’s lost weight at all (we are talking about a former model here, mama knows her angles and may not have even dropped a pound).

Of course, all this comes after Teigen previously talked about how she didn’t end up back at her pre-baby weight after becoming a mom, an admission that came because internet commenters were always asking her how she could eat delicious food all the time (again, cookbook author) without gaining weight. Teigen explained that she wasn’t gaining weight and wasn’t in a hurry to get back to her pre-pregnancy number.

“I never lost the last bit because I just love food too much,” she tweeted. Just coming to terms with my new normal, when I had this certain number for so long!”

In a follow-up tweet, she explained that she would rather have the extra 20 pounds than a repeat of the weight loss she experienced after her first pregnancy when she experienced postpartum depression.

“The thinnest I’ve ever been was right after Luna. Postpartum depression. I’LL TAKE THESE POUNDS AND THIS FEELING!” she wrote.

“I don’t really call this ‘body confidence’ because I’m not quite there yet. I’m still super insecure,” Teigen wrote in another tweet, after showing a video of her stretch marks.

The thing is, Teigen still does look amazing in a bikini, even if she no longer looks like it’s her job to be in one. Her “mom bod,” as she calls it, is beautiful by any standard even if it doesn’t look like it did on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

And that’s why it’s time for people to leave her alone about her weight. Because when a woman in the public eye is accepting the changes in her body, others can too

Teigen is leading the charge for this new wave of celebrity moms who are taking control of their postpartum stories through social media and rejecting the “bounce back” narrative often perpetuated by traditional media.

In a world where anyone can photoshop their own selfie on Instagram, it’s nice to see someone who has every reason in the world to do it (and, let’s be real, not a lot of editing to do) rejecting the illusion of postpartum perfection. There is no such thing, even for literal (former) supermodels.

[A version of this post was published July 31, 2018. It has been updated.]