July 14 was a big day for singer Halsey. That's the day that she and partner Alev Aydin welcomed baby Ender Ridley Aydin. But that didn't keep them from working hard. This October, Halsey — who uses she/they pronouns — performed on Saturday Night Live on Kim Kardashian West's episode. As one of the most anticipated shows, all eyes were on Halsey and Kim.
And that meant that people were also looking at Halsey's post-baby body. After giving birth, many moms are expected to "bounce back." But that's much easier said than done. Your body has been through so much, and things are prone to change — especially with age.
Halsey wanted to set the record straight about their appearance and used their Instagram account to explain the reality of the situation.
Halsey wasn't afraid to share their body without the magic of makeup and a wardrobe crew. She looked beautiful, but slightly different in comparison to how she was dressed while performing live. "I am posting this because no matter what I do people are going to talk about my body," Halsey began.
"It is confusing symptom of being in the public eye so rather than complain I am going to give you something real to talk about! I did SNL two nights ago and a lot of people were quick to say how good I looked. That was a weird feeling," Halsey said.
"My body has felt like a stranger’s for a long time," Halsey continued. "I uphold myself to honesty to the point of over sharing sometimes but this feels important. The first picture on this slide is days after my baby was already born. A lot of people don't know that you still look pregnant for a while after." Halsey shared a slideshow of their stomach during multiple phases after birth.
"It is still changing and I am letting it," Halsey stated. "I have no interest in working out right now. I’m too tired and too busy playing with my darling son. With that being said, the body behind all those compliments the other night was wearing a custom tailored outfit and lighted perfectly after much testing, so I could feel good and do my job."
"I do not want to feed the Illusion that you’re meant to feel and look 'great' immediately postpartum," Halsey noted. "That is not my narrative currently. If you've been following me because you’re also a parent and you dig what I'm doing, please know I’m in your corner. I will never have my 'pre baby body back' no matter how it changes physically because I have now had a baby! And that has altered me forever; emotionally, spiritually, and physically."
Those words are important to state. Oftentimes, moms assume it'll be easy to look the same as before having a baby. But it couldn't be further from the truth. Your body literally created a life, and that's a big experience both physically and mentally. People shouldn't feel bad about themselves for these changes. They're natural, and they're beautiful.
But, according to Halsey, this new normal is just fine. "That change is permanent. And I don't want to go back!" she stated. "But In the spirit of honesty, I'm really tired and not a superhuman and this is really hard. Doing my best to serve my art and my family whilst keeping it all so very real. Love."
Halsey has a platform that not many of us do, so stating these things is especially important. Women who recently gave birth and watched SNL might look at Halsey and feel like something is wrong with their own bodies — or that they're too lazy to morph back. Halsey opening up and saying that it was someone's job to make her appear a certain way is the type of honesty that all celebrities should strive for.
This isn't the first time that Halsey has spoken up regarding their pregnancy. Halsey is currently 27 years old but admitted that when they announced the news, a lot of people treated them like a child.
"I tried very hard for this pregnancy and it was like, I'm financially independent, I'm pretty far along in my career, it feels like the right time for me to do it," Halsey explained to Zane Lowe on the New Music Daily radio playlist on Apple Music 1.
Halsey said that no matter what she did, people still had opinions. "But then, there's also, 'She worked too hard, she never had a family. She's going to die alone. She was too obsessed with work, she never found someone,'" Halsey pointed out. "'It's a shame she's not going to have any kids, her career's not going to hold her at night.'"
Halsey also had a series of miscarriages before giving birth to baby Ender. That was something also worth talking about, as it's far more common than many people realize and can leave a woman feeling inadequate. The more people talk about what they've experienced, the more commonly accepted these losses and struggles can be.
Even though the world of parenting is still somewhat new for Halsey, it seems like the singer has built up a lot of wisdom in a short time. For new moms looking up to Halsey, it's important to remember that they're taking it one day at a time just like the rest of us. You should never feel like you need to look a certain way after giving birth. Your body has already done enough.
