Jessie J has the best response for people who enquire about her postpartum body journey.
The singer welcomed her first child, a son named Sky, with her boyfriend Chanan Safir Colman in May. Throughout her pregnancy and first months in motherhood, Jessie J — born Jessica Ellen Cornish — has been sharing the highs and lows of her experience on social media. In her most recent update on August 1, Jessie took to her Instagram story to share a personal message about body positivity.
Updating her 13.6 million followers, she wrote: “Couple of people have said to me, ‘I bet you can’t wait to get your body back.’ My reply is, ‘I don’t want to go back. That body is gone. I want my body to go forward. I’m getting my body forward.’” Signing off, she added: “That’s the vibe, ladies. Embrace that body!”
I’ve never heard the term “body forward” before, but I’m all for it. Jessie is absolutely right. Women, especially in this day and age, considering all we know about the negative effect of body-shaming, shouldn’t be pressurised into “snapping back.” While birthing a child is considered to be a glorious experience by many, there’s no denying the toll is has on the physical body, not to mention the emotional impact. There is absolutely no need for women to face the additional stress of attempting to get their “body back,” as though no major life-altering event has taken place.
More over, there are so many other things that can be said to a new mum, that don’t involve mentioning her body. You might ask them how they’re adjusting to their new set of circumstances? Or perhaps offer to lend a hand if there’s a way you can lighten their load as they transition into motherhood.
As for Jessie, she has been incredibly open about her fertility struggles over the years. In 2014, the singer was told by a doctor that she was infertile. Refusing to give up on her dream of birthing a child, Jessie revealed in an interview with Heart Radio in 2019 that she had altered her diet and lifestyle in the hopes that it would help her conceive one day. “I was told I can’t have children, but I don’t believe it. I believe in miracles. I haven’t given up,” she shared.
In 2021, Jessie took to Instagram to reveal that she had suffered a miscarriage, after deciding to embark on a journey to motherhood by herself. The following year, during an emotive interview on The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett, the musician remarked: “I’m grateful that I got to experience being pregnant… It’s opened the door for me to love myself deeper.” Fast-forward to the beginning of this year, when Jessie returned to Instagram once more, this time to share the joyous news that she and her boyfriend were expecting their first baby.
Jessie has since posted no-holds-barred updates about pregnancy and motherhood. In July, six weeks postpartum, she posted a video of herself engaging in “gentle exercise” after she was given the go-ahead from her physician. Sharing that working out serves as a form of mental support to her, as well as physical, Jessie remarked: “The only thing I’m snapping is forward!”