Upworthy's book GOOD PEOPLE, now available - take a look!

Shop
 Explore 

kylie jenner

Family

Kylie Jenner opens up about her postpartum struggles, sparking a conversation about postpartum expectations

www.flickr.com

Kylie Jenner.

It’s pretty safe to say that everyone who has ever been pregnant has gone through pregnancy and the postpartum period differently. Everyone processes the hormones in their own way, gains weight differently and loses weight differently. But the overall experience of pregnancy and postpartum, while different, is also strikingly similar. In today’s world we have become accustomed to celebrities bouncing right back after giving birth. It seems as though they give birth and are walking the red carpet the following week in a sleek fitting gown, glowing with smiles and laughter. Kylie Jenner is no exception. After she had her first child, Stormi, Kylie’s social media went right back to business as usual.

All of the content she put out was perfectly crafted, and she showed up in public spaces looking as if she just stepped away from a magazine shoot. There was little to no evidence outside of pictures of her child to show that she had actually had a baby. Jenner kept her entire pregnancy under wraps until the birth of her first child, while continuing to push out content that showed her in the best of light. While some women feel the Kardashians and Jenners perpetuate unrealistic body images, and the sisters have been accused of using photoshop to continue showing the world perfectly sculpted bodies clad in equally perfectly coordinated outfits, Jenner's recent confession has some moms rejoicing.

In a rare moment of transparency outside of the confessional on "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," Jenner opened up about her journey post new baby Wolf, who she welcomed with Travis Scott February 2. Jenner admitted that her recovery since having baby number two has been completely different to her first pregnancy. She said in an Instagram story, “I just want to say to my postpartum moms that postpartum has not been easy. It’s not been easy—it’s very hard.” They youngest Kardashian-Jenner sister went on to say, “This experience for me personally has been a little harder than with my daughter. It’s not easy mentally, physically, spiritually … it’s just crazy.”

Kylie Jenner opens up about postpartum recovery.

pic.twitter.com/93DguWJw39
— Kylie Jenner (@Kylie Jenner) 1631285562

Jenner said she “didn’t want to just get back to life without saying that, because I think we can look at the internet and, you know, for other moms going through it right now, we can go on the internet and it might look a lot easier for other people and put the pressure on us." She continued: “But it hasn’t been easy for me either. It’s been hard, and I just wanted to say that.” At the time of the Instagram story, the mom of two was six weeks postpartum and sitting on gym equipment preparing to work out.

Jenner’s experience is not unique. Up to 80% of new moms experience a mood disturbance after giving birth. While some don’t have prolonged symptoms of “baby blues” or other mood disorders, some go on to have longer term effects. Jenner concluded her post by informing fans that “It’s OK not to be OK.” Experiencing mental and physical struggles after giving birth is completely normal for most women, and having an open honest conversation with your doctor is the first step in feeling better.

It's OK not to be OK.

It’s wonderful to see a young celebrity who is known for her looks and heavily curated social media come out and be honest about her struggles. Let’s hope other celebrities continue this trend so new parents everywhere can rest assured that their experience isn’t happening in a vacuum.

From Your Site Articles

We can't talk about Kylie Jenner's $900 million worth without talking about privilege.

Newsflash: Kylie Jenner is really, really wealthy.

Forbes just estimated her total worth, conservatively, at $900 million.

Most of that wealth comes from the 20-year-old's young cosmetics brand, Kylie Cosmetics, which Forbes (again, conservatively) valued at $800 million. Her astonishing wealth landed Jenner a place on Forbes' 2018 list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.

"Another year of growth will make her the youngest self-made billionaire ever, male or female," the outlet reported, noting she'll have edged out Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (who became a billionaire at age 23) by two birthdays.

But Jenner's isn't exactly a rags-to-riches story. The youngest child in the Kardashian-Jenner crew was already starring in her family's reality TV series and swimming in endorsement deal cash before her 18th birthday. If your zip code does, in fact, decide your destiny, Jenner's Calabasas, California, upbringing has paved the way to a life of luxury.

It's easy to understand why Forbes' "self-made" distinction raised plenty of eyebrows.

"Calling Kylie Jenner self-made without acknowledging anywhere the incredible head start she had is what allows people to turn around and look at poor people and ask them why they haven't become billionaires yet," read one viral tweet that's amassed over 280,000 likes as of this writing.

The backlash was swift (and, at times, kind of funny).

[rebelmouse-image 19478608 dam="1" original_size="631x267" caption="Image via Gulab Jamun/Twitter." expand=1]Image via Gulab Jamun/Twitter.

Disgruntled readers even pushed Forbes to note that the publication "fully acknowledges that within the term 'self-made' there are many who are more self-made than others," a spokesperson noted to CNN. A glimpse through the full list of women — on which Jenner ranked amongst the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Sheryl Sandberg, and Taylor Swift — further illustrates that point.

In peak internet form, however, then there was a backlash to the backlash.

Some argued the "self-made" distinction is fair, while others justifiably suggested the intense backlash was over-the-top and sexist.

[rebelmouse-image 19478609 dam="1" original_size="631x279" caption="Image via Alexandra Talty/Twitter." expand=1]Image via Alexandra Talty/Twitter.

Even Dictionary.com threw in its two cents on the matter, clarifying on Twitter that "self-made means having succeeded in life unaided."

[rebelmouse-image 19478610 dam="1" original_size="637x262" caption="Image via Dictionary.com/Twitter." expand=1]Image via Dictionary.com/Twitter.

Intentional or not, Dictionary.com's input further stirred the pot, with outlets like People magazine quipping, "Dictionary.com Shades Kylie Jenner After Forbes Calls Her a 'Self-Made' Almost Billionaire."

As all things internet tend to do, the conversation snowballed into a sour, divisive, and oversimplified water cooler debate.

But then Roxane Gay chimed in.

And in under 280 characters, the acclaimed author gave some much needed perspective. "It is not shade to point out that Kylie Jenner isn't self-made," she wrote on Twitter. "She grew up in a wealthy, famous family. Her success is commendable, but it comes by virtue of her privilege."

[rebelmouse-image 19478611 dam="1" original_size="637x379" caption="Image via Roxane Gay/Twitter." expand=1]Image via Roxane Gay/Twitter.

"Words have meanings," she concluded. "And it behooves a dictionary to remind us of that."

Gay's tempered response touched on an important point.

Privilege — whether it comes down to skin color, sexual orientation, gender, ability, or money — doesn't mean a person hasn't worked hard or faces no hurdles, as Gay suggested in noting Jenner's "commendable" success. But privilege does mean a person's benefited from a system that — in some way, shape, or form — gives them a leg up.

Or, in Jenner's case, many millions of legs up.

Jenner may be a hardworking, business-savvy entrepreneur, but she's also benefitted from an incredible amount of privilege that's served as the springboard to her status as an almost-billionaire. Both things can be true at once.

And acknowledging that privilege isn't "throwing shade"or "lambasting" Jenner — it's simply recognizing that maybe "self-made" isn't the most accurate term to describe her wealth.

Words matter, after all.

[rebelmouse-image 19478612 dam="1" original_size="635x308" caption="Image via Dictionary.com/Twitter." expand=1]Image via Dictionary.com/Twitter.