Six weeks ago, Barbara Palvin welcomed her first child, a daughter named Sylvie. On Sunday, the 33-year-old returned to her modeling work at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Palvin, who is married to actor Dylan Sprouse, first strutted in a ’90s-inspired nightie, then quickly changed into an embellished white corset with matching underwear and a flowing sheer train, topped with oversized snowflake wings.
When asked backstage about her first job as a working mother, Palvin, who has worked for the lingerie brand for over a decade, downplayed and contextualized her experience: tell people“I’m going to be six weeks postpartum tomorrow, which I think in the States most people have to go back after six weeks.” She separately told Page Six: “And I just have to go down one runway.”
Palvin’s perspective reflects a reality many new moms face. There is currently no federal mandate for paid maternity leave in the United States. Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, eligible female employees are entitled to up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave.
Palvin, who also spoke with Hello Americathanked her family and friends for helping her prepare, while acknowledging that she is still recovering and “everyone’s journey is different.”
Elsa Hosk, 37, is also postpartum, having welcomed her second daughter, Flora Blue, with fiancé Tom Daly in July.
Hosk posted an Instagram video documenting her 6-week progress toward being ready for the track. The caption read: “I’m so excited to be returning to the @victoriassecret fashion show for my 9th show!!! See you on the Angels runway!!!👼🏻❤️🪽💝✨”
Hosk, who also has a 5-year-old child, sported massive metallic gold wings on the track.
The couple’s Victoria’s Secret bookings — on such a public stage, with so many eyeballs — sparked conversations about the realities of postpartum, “rebound culture,” whether it’s right or wrong to work with as many reactions praising the models as criticizing them.
“The only thing I did at 6 weeks was cry and put lanolin on my nipples,” Molly Bailey wrote on Instagram, noting that it took her two years to “bounce back” but also adding that everyone’s postpartum experience was different.
Having the time, resources and help also makes a difference when it comes to getting back on the lingerie runway, as Yahoo reporter Fortesa Latifi pointed out. “Clearly, this is not what most women look like six weeks after giving birth,” she said. Along the same lines, Hosk’s training regiment to prepare for the track struck a chord, with one comment saying that “this kind of video perpetuates the idea that a woman should be like this even though it’s not even ‘normal’ to exercise that much after having a baby!!,” the user commented.
Others believe the focus should not be on the models’ appearance, but rather on what they have accomplished through motherhood. A Instagram user said Palvin shouldn’t be celebrated for her postpartum appearance, but for everything her body endured during pregnancy and childbirth.
“We also need to stop attacking women who recover easily after childbirth,” one user commented on Hosk’s workout video. “It’s their body, their work and their own process, and that’s valid too. If we ask for respect for women who are going through tougher times, let’s make sure that respect is for all women 💖”
Another Instagram Creator urged mothers to celebrate themselves rather than making comparisons.
“As a mom, I know everything our bodies go through to bring our babies into the world. Watching another mom arrive, own her moment and absolutely SLAY is worth celebrating,” she wrote in the caption.
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