Skinny VS Curvy

Hot mom Jessica Alba (31) recently opened up to iVillage about feeling sexy post-babies, her weight and body image – let’s see what she says:

It’s really amazing how your perspective shifts and your definition of sexy evolves once you become a mother. Before having Honor and Haven, I was super-critical of my looks and worried more about inevitable changes to my body. I couldn’t even say the word “sexy” to describe myself without feeling funny and awkward.

But becoming a mom has definitely made me feel more confident and secure than I ever did in my 20s. Even though I can’t ever get down to my pre-baby weight before having Honor, my jeans don’t zip up the same way, and things just hang differently (all moms know how that goes!), I feel completely comfortable in my skin and my idea of perfection has changed. I don’t really care about my body image anymore because it just doesn’t matter now that I have children. Instead, I focus on my health, feeling strong, and making sure I’m up and running so I can spend that all-important time with the girls.

Having babies also helped me embrace my sexuality. Up until then, I was quite shy about it. But once I experienced how incredible and amazing it was to create a life, it was empowering. Now, I feel freer to express myself and just be me. Through motherhood I really came into my own and, for me, feeling sexy is all about this type of comfort, confidence, and true happiness.

… says Jessica.

Pictured: Jessica’s weight before and after having kids.

See more ‘vintage’ shots of Jessica from 2007 next!

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Left – Before: Beyonce before her pregnancy, in April 2011.

Right – After: Beyonce + 50 pounds / 23 kg, a few days before giving birth.

Here’s the full story from People Magazine:

The singer says she gained 50 pounds during her pregnancy – putting on the last 20 during the final month leading up to the delivery – and was determined to bounce back after baby as soon as possible.

“I lost most of my weight from breastfeeding and I encourage women to do it; It’s just so good for the baby and good for yourself,” Knowles, who breastfed Blue for 10 weeks, says. Then, “about a month after” giving birth, the new mom tackled the remaining pounds with a strict diet and exercise routine.

“I counted calories. I worked out maybe three to four times a week,” she shares. “I did a lot of walking in the beginning and now I’m running. But I had to work my way up. I couldn’t just go right from being pregnant to running.”

All the hard work – including “staying away from anything delicious” and no cheat days – has paid off.

“I’m proud that my waist came back so fast. I’m proud of that and happy, but that was mostly from the breastfeeding,” the singer explains.

And not only is Knowles just “three to four pounds” away from her pre-pregnancy weight, but she has also acquired a new softness about her voluptuous body.

“My hormones are still in my body. Your body produces the hormones that make your body soft,” she says. “It’s just magical. It makes me so proud to be a woman because it’s just unexplainable what happens to your body – it’s incredible.”

Does it look like a 50 pound weight gain to you? Check the before and after comparison above!

On Hollywood’s trend of being bikini ready weeks after giving birth:

‘There’s so much pressure on you as a new mom that the last thing you need to have hanging over your head is some expectation of what your body is supposed to look like. I actually think that the scrutiny of new mothers bodies has gotten out of control. Every new mother just gets a free pass. I’m actually angered by the ‘posing in a bikini six weeks after having my baby’ [trend]… Who cares if our boobs are hanging low and we have a little more junk in the trunk? We created a human being, everybody. Let’s celebrate!’

… says Jenna, who gave birth last September.

Pictured: Jenna at the Tribeca Film Festival premier in New York City on April 23.

New mom Beyonce recently opened to People Magazine about how she prepared for her daughter’s arrival:

“I did have a fresh eyebrow wax. I got my nails done, I got my feet done, had my hair done, and I had my little lip gloss.”
“But I didn’t feel that I looked beautiful during birth, but who does? After being pumped with all those fluids and gaining so much weight … I barely recognized myself. But after many hours of labor, I could care less about anything but my child. I didn’t care how I looked.”

And after birth:

“I felt more powerful than I’ve ever felt in my life. I felt connected to my body. I felt like I knew my purpose in the world.”

Pictured: Beyonce 6 weeks after giving birth.

Beyonce, who was recently named ‘World’s Most Beautiful Woman’ by People Magazine opens up about how her new mom status affected her style and body – from Daily Mail:

On high heels versus flats: ‘I never thought there would be a day when I wouldn’t wear heels. Now that I have a child, I walk around holding her all day, I’m buying loafers and oxfords. I love them, because they’re comfortable, and shorter heels too. [Jay-Z] loves it when I wear flat shoes, which is surprising – he never saw me in flats before! He likes me more natural – just he relaxed, natural me.’

On cutting her own hair: ‘I recently cut two inches myself – I just parted it in the middle and chh-chh-chh!’

On breastfeeding and her body: Beyoncé also revealed how breast-feeding her little one for ten weeks helped her lose ‘the bulk’ of her pregnancy weight, but that she’s now on a strict-protein based diet. She now works out three times a week for 90 minutes, doing a combination of running, dancing and crunches. ‘I’m definitely softer, but I feel my body bouncing back,’ she says.

… says Beyonce.