Even Beyoncé Struggled With Self-Acceptance, But Here's How She Learned To Love Her Body

For many people, body acceptance can be a tricky thing, and as it turns out, not even Beyoncé is immune. In her cover story for Vogue's September issue, Beyoncé opened up about her post-baby body — and how she struggled with it after having her twins last year. Although her words are definitely going to resonate with many women who have had children, they're just as important for anyone who's struggled with accepting their own body.

In the piece, which is told in Beyoncé's own words to Clover Hope, the singer said that after she had Blue, she scheduled a tour three months later so that she'd be sure to lose the baby weight quickly. But after Sir and Rumi, it was a totally different ballgame. According to Bey herself, she weighed 218 pounds the day she gave birth to her twins, and since she had a C-section and had a risky pregnancy, all she cared about at the time was surviving.

But after surgery, she had the chance to embrace her new, post-pregnancy body, and tried to be kinder to herself than she was after having Blue. She told Vogue,

During my recovery, I gave myself self-love and self-care, and I embraced being curvier. I accepted what my body wanted to be. After six months, I started preparing for Coachella. I became vegan temporarily, gave up coffee, alcohol, and all fruit drinks. But I was patient with myself and enjoyed my fuller curves. My kids and husband did, too.

Beyoncé also said that this is a big reason she went natural for her Vogue shoot. "I think it’s important for women and men to see and appreciate the beauty in their natural bodies," she explained. "That’s why I stripped away the wigs and hair extensions and used little makeup for this shoot."

And now? She's comfortable with the way her body looks, even if it's different from the way she looked before she carried her twins. She added:

To this day my arms, shoulders, breasts, and thighs are fuller. I have a little mommy pouch, and I’m in no rush to get rid of it. I think it’s real. Whenever I’m ready to get a six-pack, I will go into beast zone and work my ass off until I have it. But right now, my little FUPA and I feel like we are meant to be.

Beyoncé taking such a positive step toward loving her body how it is right now is setting an important example for anyone who's ever felt the pressure to be "perfect." Bringing kids into the world is hard work, and it's a pretty amazing thing that women can do. Unfortunately, there's a lot of shame that comes with the way bodies change after giving birth, but there doesn't have to be.

And honestly, so many of us who struggle with our bodies could definitely use a little self-care and kindness, just like Beyoncé said. It's not easy, but at whatever state your body is in, you should be nice to it and to yourself. Whether you've recently had a baby or not, you deserve as much kindness as you can give yourself.