Angela Poe Russell: Russell Wilson and Ciara’s Oscar Party photo just what our culture needs

As I scrolled through all the photos from the night of the Oscars, one of them really struck me. It was Russell Wilson and his wife Ciara at an after party.

While seeing them flex for the cameras is nothing new, something was way different about Ciara. She actually looked “human!”

OK, before you get offended, let me explain. Ciara recently gave birth to her fourth child and after each pregnancy, she always returned to the spotlight looking like nothing happened.

But this time was different. She gave birth back in December and at this Oscar Party, she looked stunning and she didn’t look just like her old self. And may I add, she was holding an In-n-Out burger in the photo. Bonus points for that.

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Isn’t it so cliché that a celebrity has a child, everyone oohs and ahs over how quickly they lost their baby weight and then wonder how we can do that too? But we all know this is not normal. It’s not normal in real life. It shouldn’t be normalized in La La Land, either. And it definitely shouldn’t be the gold standard.

Approximately 80% of women take more than three months to return to their pre-pregnancy weight, according to Story MD. Losing too quickly reduces milk production.

Plus, you have factors like sleep deprivation and breastfeeding, both making moms hungrier than normal. And you have a new human to care for, in addition to the physical recovery.

As a woman, it can be exhausting trying to pretend that nothing just happened. Well, there is a lot always happening and holding up the world while things closest to us are chaotic is unrealistic and harmful.

Ciara has four children now, all under the age of 10. Even if you don’t really care what’s happening with her and Russell, Ciara showing up with a beautiful post pregnancy body is the message our culture needs right now. We are a society obsessed with filters, minimizing our imperfections and inadvertently discouraging people from showing theirs.

And we pay a price.

Right now, eating disorders are on the rise – doubling worldwide in the last 18 years, according to Center for Women’s Health. It’s also starting to impact more teen boys as they consume what their ideal looks should be through social media (big and muscular).

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To be clear, no celebrity is obligated to keep it real with us. And if you have a baby and choose to lose weight quickly but safely, no judgment here. But if a new mom wants to follow the typical course, that should be celebrated.

And it’s just nice when a celebrity like Ciara, with 35 million Instagram followers, gets that. She even posted a picture of herself in a swimsuit saying “embrace every stage.” Well, I agree. So cheers to that Oscar Party photo for showing that stars can be just like us and that vulnerability is a beautiful thing.

As for the In-n-Out burgers featured in that Oscar party photo, yes, I am slightly jealous, but I genuinely hope she ate it.

Angela Poe Russell is a longtime Seattle media personality and a fill-in host for KIRO Newsradio.