SI LifeStyle

Keke Palmer Is Listening to Her Postpartum Body, Encourages New Moms to Do ‘Whatever Makes You Feel Good’

The actress welcomed her baby boy with boyfriend Darius Jackson in February.

Ananya Panchal

Keke Palmer.

Keke Palmer.

Keke Palmer isn’t afraid to admit that bounce-back culture is not for everyone. The new mom, who welcomed her baby, Leodis, with boyfriend Darius Jackson in February, is simply learning to listen to and love her new body while doing whatever feels best.

“If it’s important to you, then hell yeah put in the work miss girl. Get you whatever diet you want to do or whatever workout regimen that works for you,” she told People. “And if that’s not what you’re worried about, then don’t worry about it. Do what you can when you can, whatever it is that makes you feel good.”

Palmer revealed that in the first few weeks postpartum, she didn’t want to do much—and not just within the scope of exercising. She didn’t really want to socialize much either. The 29-year-old allowed herself peace and alone time with her baby to truly soak in the first few moments of motherhood, but then, all of a sudden, she wanted to get active again.

“It changes, so go at your own pace,” she encouraged, adding that public figures are required to look good, so most new mothers shouldn’t compare themselves to anyone else.

“Anytime you see a celebrity doing a snap back or whatever like that, it’s part of the damn gig. A part of our jobs is to look good and to look the part. If we want the checks to get signed, we got to be what we got to be.”

The True Jackson, VP alumna, like most women and new moms, has struggled with her own body image issues and takes the time to work on it. 

“I’ve gone on my own personal journey with how I feel about my physical appearance,” she said. “The main thing I’ve learned through my experience is to do what makes me feel happy. If I feel like I need to hold it back and I need to do a little bit more work, or [if] I want to feel better about myself, I just do it.”

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Ananya Panchal

ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a NYC-based Lifestyle & Trending News writer at SI Swimsuit. Before joining the Swim team, the Boston University Alum worked for culture & entertainment beats at Bustle, The San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. When Ananya is not writing or doom-scrolling on social media, she can be found playing sudoku, rewatching One Tree Hill or trying new restaurants. She's also a coffee and chocolate (separately) enthusiast.