Beyoncé Says She's in 'No Rush' to Get Rid of Her 'Mommy Pouch'
Beyoncé appears on the cover of Vogue‘s September issue, in a photo-shoot gorgeously done by 23-year-old Tyler Mitchell, an up-and-coming black photographer. Paired with the photos is a brief as-told-to essay in which Queen B opens up about paving the way for “the next generation of talents,” owning her confidence and power, and, perhaps most poignantly, learning to embrace and her body after giving birth to twins last year.
The “Love on Top” singer admits she succumbed to societal pressures that encourage women to “bounce back” after giving birth when she welcomed her daughter, Blue Ivy, in January 2012—but she “approached things very differently” after Sir and Rumi arrived in June 2017. “I was 218 pounds the day I gave birth to Rumi and Sir. I was swollen from toxemia and had been on bed rest for over a month. My health and my babies’ health were in danger, so I had an emergency C-section. We spent many weeks in the NICU,” she says in Vogue, adding that she now has a “connection” to other parents who have been through similar experiences.
“After the C-section, my core felt different. It had been major surgery. Some of your organs are shifted temporarily, and in rare cases, removed temporarily during delivery. I am not sure everyone understands that. I needed time to heal, to recover,” she said. “During my recovery, I gave myself self-love and self-care, and I embraced being curvier. I accepted what my body wanted to be. After six months, I started preparing for Coachella. I became vegan temporarily, gave up coffee, alcohol, and all fruit drinks. But I was patient with myself and enjoyed my fuller curves. My kids and husband did, too.”
And though that Coachella prep changed her body, Bey says the wisdom she gained after Sir and Rumi’s birth has stuck with her. “To this day my arms, shoulders, breasts, and thighs are fuller. I have a little mommy pouch, and I’m in no rush to get rid of it. I think it’s real,” she writes. “Whenever I’m ready to get a six-pack, I will go into beast zone and work my ass off until I have it. But right now, my little FUPA and I feel like we are meant to be.”
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