Lost alum Evangeline Lilly was trending all day today because of an E!Online report announcing the now mom-to-2 was spotted on a beach wearing a bikini two months after giving birth to her second child in Hawaii.
Backtrack, Lilly is great about not announcing her pregnancies. It wasn’t until she was 8 months along before a wayward member of the paparazzi spotted her in Hawaii where she lives often with her longtime partner Hawaii born Norman Kali, a production assistant she met on the Lost set.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies star announced the second pregnancy by showing up this summer to the red carpet for her movie Ant-Man‘s première. She was already 7 months pregnant.
And even now, the Canadian-born managed to avoid the press for two months after giving birth, having not released a statement about the birth of her second child at all. If it wasn’t for the papps again, we’d still not know she had the kid. Lily and Kali are parents to 4-year old son Kahekili Kali.
The fact the news of the bikini was the reason she trended upset some in social media and the blogsphere. We’ve discussed often on Bellyitch before how pop culture and gossip media’s obsession with the post-body celebrity can be dangerous for the message it sends to current and future new moms, and to society in general.
Blogger Jenny Rapson of Mommin It Up vented on For Every Mom today:
“I understand celebrities are newsworthy, and I am not saying a celebrity having a child isn’t news,” Rapson penned. “I am perturbed at the PRESS for making this NEWS.”
She then went on to highlight three things why this actress’ body being newsworthy upset her:
“And herein lies my issue: why is this news? Why the excitement about a beautiful mom showing some skin after having a baby? Is it because…
- GASP! Women’s bodies are certainly ruined by children and they should never show them!
- OH THANK GOD SHE NOW LOOKS PERFECT—AS IF SHE NEVER HAD A BABY! PRAISE JESUS SHE ESCAPED HER TERRIBLE MOM BOD FATE AND CAN
- WALK AROUND IN PUBLIC WITHOUT PEOPLE RUNNING AWAY SCREAMING!
See, Moms? You can look hot after having a baby! You can achieve the ultimate goal of beauty in life AND be a mom, too. Now hit the gym!”
Well, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
And Rapson wasn’t the only one. Here are some of the reactions we captured of folks in social media .
#NewMoms you don’t need to compare yourself to this: https://t.co/61WjqEGtJV #Fitness after baby should be about helping you feel your best.
— Fit Armadillo (@FitArmadillo) October 23, 2015
Word!