- Kim Kardashian's SKIMS shapewear brand recently unveiled a new maternity collection, sparking internet backlash.
- Chrissy Teigen responded to the controversy on her Instagram Story, explaining why she wears pregnancy shapewear.
- "Basically, the reason I love pregnancy shapewear is because it stops all the folds of my vagina and stomach from eating any other type of underwear," she said. "For the most part, it’s just the most comfortable thing to wear."
After Kim Kardashian's latest SKIMS launch—a "Maternity Solutionwear" collection—triggered an online backlash, Chrissy Teigen took to Instagram to defend the concept and explain why she chooses to wear pregnancy shapewear. Critics argued that Kardashian's line implied pregnant people should try to make their bodies look smaller, a stance both Kardashian and Teigen rejected.
Jameela Jamil wrote on Instagram: "I wish we could just Normalize just focusing on the inside of a pregnant body, not the outside. You don’t need your shape corrected or hidden. You don’t need an even more awkward obstacle between you and a piss. You just need to try and ride with this miracle and do your best to be as happy/comfortable as is possible within your circumstances. Pregnancy is hard enough, with enough worries already...And if you feel self conscious, you are not the problem, who can blame any of us for feeling bad, our society has failed us immensely, and we as a collective need to put more energy into pushing back against this so we can just let a bitch live!" (She later clarified: "This is annoying. I didn’t go after her/the product as I’d read her explanation before saying anything.")
Teigen shared a series of videos on her Instagram Story, wearing a full set of pregnancy shapewear (while she didn't specify the brand she was wearing, it looked a lot like SKIMS' upcoming release). "Basically, the reason I love pregnancy shapewear is because it stops all the folds of my vagina and stomach from eating any other type of underwear," she said. "When you're pregnant and you're sitting down a lot, or on bed rest like me, you tend to just sit there, and if you're wearing regular, basic-ass underwear, all it does is roll inside of folds I didn't even know I had. It rolls up in there and it doesn’t even look like I have underwear on."
"We're not trying to do anything to trick you, we're pregnant. We would just like to feel good about ourselves in a time where mentally, it can be really challenging," she continued. "What’s the big deal? I don’t think I have some fucking magic waistline now. Do you guys think that? I’m not doing it to get a waistline. I merely want to wear underwear that’s pretty, that I feel good in, that’s soft, that’s comfortable, that stretches nicely over my belly, and that my pussy doesn’t eat."
Teigen went on to directly address critics of pregnancy shapewear, saying, "I actually decided that I think it’s even kind of condescending to think that you have to defend us on this. Obviously the message is that pregnant women shouldn’t have to feel like they have to make themselves smaller. They should feel beautiful and yes, absolutely, I 1000% agree with that. But what you’re forgetting is that none of us think that this is making us smaller. Nobody thinks that. Just trust me when I say that."
"We do it so we feel high and tight and honestly it feels easier to get up, it feels easier to move around when you’re not flopping all over the place," she said. "For the most part, it’s just the most comfortable thing to wear."
Shortly after Teigen spoke on Instagram, Kardashian tweeted, "To anyone who has an issue with maternity solutionwear, and if you haven’t been pregnant before you may not know the struggle of what it’s like carrying all of this weight the way I did along with millions of strong women. @skims maternity line is not to slim but to support."
"The belly part doesn’t slim your belly, it’s actually sheer and a thinner layered material compared to the rest of the garment. It provides support to help with the uncomfortable weight being carried in your stomach which affects your lower back," Kardashian continued. "and the compression on the leggings helps with pain relief caused by swelling. It is also worn after you have given birth and provides the comfort and support that most women need after delivery especially if you are recovering from a cesarean."
