I have to admit, I wasn’t head over heels in love with Kristen Bell–after all, I’d never even met her before. But that’s all changing now. In addition to being an outspoken activist for causes like equal marriage, this vegan actress (and PETA’s Hottest Vegan 2013, natch) is so candid and down-to-earth. And her confidence about her new-mom body is so refreshing. Take a look:
Here she is, looking improbably toned and slim on Shape’s September 2010 cover:
And here she is, three years and a baby girl later, on Redbook’s September 2013 cover:
Okay, here’s what’s going on here. That Shape cover was much talked-about, even for Shape -cover standards–it got Kristen noticed as a seriously hot body. Like, look at her–that’s a body that could launch a thousand ships. From that point on, this rock-hard body came to be a major part of her persona as a Hollywood actress. Fast forward a happy, busy three years as a mom/fiancee/actress, Kristen definitely looks a lot softer. Her frame, while still being very petite, looks rounder and more feminine, and she looks less like a pampered celebrity, and more like your beautiful girl friend/ sister. Heck, she even looks a few years older…because you know what? Three years passed! This might be the single instance of magazine covers in recent memory that an actress was not Photoshopped to death and was instead allowed to look differently than she did 3, 5, 10, even 20 years ago.
I find it a breath of fresh air that here is a celebrity who, like the rest of us, is going through the normal changes in her body and looks, and holding herself with such poise and confidence while doing so. In her Redbook interview, Kristen freely admits to wearing compression garments for photo shoots and award shows, and even how bummed she felt when she began putting on pregnancy weight. Later on, Kristen suddenly started to feel sexier in her new figure, like many expecting moms do.
“I refused to worry about something I could not change…Look, I’m like any other woman. All this evolved b.s. that I’m telling you is my mantra: It’s not something I practice naturally.”
But the best part of this interview is that Kristen confesses to working on her positive attitude. Like she says, positive attitude doesn’t just spring up naturally–often it requires effort, whether it’s a mantra, or visualization, or what have you.
“Comparison is one long, agonizing death and does not interest me at all.”
I can’t agree more. Why compare yourself to someone else who, after all, doesn’t have all your wonderful attributes that make up your identity? Even if Miranda Kerr and Giselle can spring back into bikini shape mere weeks after giving birth, chances are it won’t be like that for most of us. And that’s okay, because you will still look beautiful, as long as you’re confident and healthy.
More inspirational celebs: Ryan Gosling Loves Animals, Writes With Serious Journalistic Flair
Olivia Wilde Wants You to Know This Before Turning 30
Photo: Shape; Redbook
