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Keke Palmer on Embracing Her Post-Baby Body After Boyfriend Darius Mom-Shaming: ‘Strengthened’
Loving her new physique. Keke Palmer has opened up about confidence and embracing her post-baby body after welcoming her son.
In an interview with The Cut published on Monday, July 10, Keke, 29, got candid about how her self-image changed after she gave birth to her baby boy, Leodis Andrellton Jackson, in February. While she admitted to struggling with confidence before her son’s arrival, her mindset has now completely shifted.
“After having my baby, I’ve just gotten so much more powerful. I’m just so strengthened in a crazy way. Strutting my stuff, enjoying,” Keke said.
Keke went on to explain that she used to worry about her figure and whether she was properly taking care of it. She strived to be “slim” and “fit in a particular way.” However, her body “got so much bigger” after giving birth to Leodis and she “started getting fluff in areas” she had never experienced before.
“I was trying to work with my trainer, Corey Calliet, and he was just like, ‘Well, we are never going to try and get your body back to how it was before a baby because you birthed a child.’ It’s like, that’s not something to hide, that’s something to embrace. We’re going to lean into this new body,” Keke added.
The interview comes after Keke’s boyfriend and the father of her baby, Darius Daulton Jackson, made headlines on July 5 when he shamed the former Nickelodeon star for the outfit she wore to an Usher concert. She wore a sheer black dress with a black low-cut bodysuit underneath.
“It’s the outfit tho … you a mom,” Darius tweeted in response to a video of Keke dancing with Usher onstage.
Darius’s comment was met with outrage as fans stood up for Keke. She seemed unbothered, however, as she later posted more photos of the outfit on Instagram. Keke even made a cheeky merch line in response to the situation.
“One thing is certain and one thing is true, IM A MOTHA, through and through!” she captioned the announcement on Instagram on July 7. “‘IM A MOTHA’ and ‘Stevie to the bulls–t’ shirts available NOW!”
She concluded, “To all my mom’s out there, how did your baby change you?? Mine empowered me! On such another level, my perspective changed because when my baby is good I’m GREAT!”
Speaking to The Cut, Keke said she is in her “big boss era” and will continue to “spread my wings as a young woman.”
“My headspace is just to continue to inspire and encourage myself and anybody else who wants to go down that road with me,” she added. “Because we’re growing and we are changing. It’s all about loving who I am and loving what I experienced and what I’ve gone through that’s gotten me here. A lot of gratitude for me.”
And Keke’s response to the fellow moms who have supported her? “Do you.”
“Girl, if there’s one person on this earth that loves you for sure, it’s that baby. Be happy, because there’s no love like it,” she added. “Somebody loving you like that, hell, who cares?”
