Women have got to lay off being so judgmental towards one another. It's really getting old. We have so much pressure to deal with, and the last thing that any of us needs is someone else getting all judgy and preachy. Tracy Anderson, lay off.
Think about it. We're always trying to give our kids a competitive edge. We breastfeed because we want our kids to have the healthiest start possible. But when a mom brings out a bottle and -- heaven forbid -- mixes up some formula, other moms instantly judge. I met a mom that used to put her kid's liquid formula in a Medela bottle so that it would look like expressed breast milk to the other moms. Who the heck cares? Mothers have choices, and there could be a host of reasons why that child is getting formula. Lay off her back, would you? Between all of the raging postpartum hormones and her lack of sleep, the last thing this woman needs is "advice" from other moms.
This is precisely why Tracy Anderson absolutely kills me. She's a celebrity trainer with a mouthful to say, all of it completely ridiculous and attention grabbing:
A lot of women use pregnancy as an excuse to let their bodies go, and that's the worst thing," Anderson told the magazine. "I've seen so many women who come to me right after [having children] with disaster bodies that have gone through hell, or they come to me years later and say, 'Oh, my body is like this because I had three kids.'
Um... seriously? We aren't letting our bodies go, we are letting them grow. We are hatching children, after all.
Congratulations, Tracy, here's your fifteen minutes of fame.
I live in body-obsessed Los Angeles. I see beautiful people all the time, mostly with the paparazzi not far behind. I too, read the New York Times piece about the former US Weekly editor who is dealing with her body after childbirth. I shared this piece with my friends because it made me quite angry. She helped to create the very industry that now makes her uncomfortable. My brilliant friend, Amira Tashman said it best: "I guess she ate her proverbial cake." Did she ever.
When celebrities are able to lose all of their baby weight so quickly, they also have a wealth of support at their disposal. They have personal trainers (with sessions that cost upwards of three hundred dollars an hour), food delivery services and juice cleanses (ridiculously expensive, albeit tasty, I'm sure) and oh ya, someone to watch their infant while they work out.
I promise you that most new moms do not have all of these opportunities readily available. They are just trying to bond with a new infant, many times before they have to rush back to work because maternity leaves are much too short. This is the real America, folks.
Cecily Kellogg, a fabulous blogger, wrote the most honest and sensitive post about her constant battle with weight. This is what should be getting all of our attention, not Tracey Anderson and her whining drivel. And yes, I realize the irony in that I'm judging those that judge. But read Cecily's post and you will see that Tracey needs to be stopped.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a fitness fanatic and a Barry's Bootcamp regular. But do you know why I go? Because I feel fantastic when I push my body. I also go for the adrenaline rush that is more effective than therapy. But this is a privilege that I have, just like the celebrities and their trainers. My children ask me why I work out, and I tell them that it makes me feel really, really good.
It's not too late for Tracy to make it right. She can offer free fitness classes to new moms. I mean, if this is a cause near and dear to her heart, let's make her accessible to the masses. You know, for all of us that let our bodies "go."