Anne Hathaway Shares Post-Baby Gym Encounter That Will Make Every Mom Cringe
Anne Hathaway says her post-baby body was insulted by a stranger at the gym
Getting back to the gym post-baby can be kind of an intimidating experience. Even if you kept up a routine while pregnant, your body still feels swollen and awkward, you’re not as strong as you used to be, and you kind of feel like everyone is staring at you. Luckily, most people are supportive or at least mind their own business — that is, unless they’re this trainer who recently accosted Anne Hathaway mid-workout.
The actress, who gave birth to her son, Jonathan, a measly eight weeks ago, was on the Ellen show yesterday, and revealed she’s been to the gym about three times post-birth. She described her gym, located in West Hollywood, as a place where everyone looks like “Thor’s trainer.” Adds Hathaway, “The people who have too many muscles to be in The Avengers work out there.” So, you know, kind of intimidating place.
But Hathaway doesn’t worry about it because motherhood has given her new self-esteem. “Being a mom has changed me in a couple ways,” she explained. “I actually, not based on this moment, but other moments feel a lot more confident… Normally, I walk into the gym and feel so intimidated, but now I walk in and I’m like, ‘Yeah I work out with five-pound weights, but I pushed a baby out of my body, I feel good right now.'”
That is, until she met this guy.
Hathaway said she was on a rowing machine when she saw a man staring intently at her. Confused, she asked if he was waiting for the machine, but that’s not what he wanted. “He comes up, and he’s like, ‘So, you been working out at this gym for a long time?'” recalls Hathaway. “And I’m like, ‘Oh my god, he’s hitting on me! Nice, new mom!’ And I’m feeling really good about myself.”
[shareable_quote]”It doesn’t matter if it’s true. If somebody says, ‘I had a baby 13 years ago,’ you say, ‘You look great.'”[/shareable_quote]
Sadly, he was not hitting on her. Instead, he offered to give her some pointers, and then things got even worse. “I decide that I’m going to let it drop that I’m a new mom,” said Hathaway. “I’m like, ‘You know, I have worked out here for a long time, but I’ve been gone because I just had a baby seven weeks ago.’ And I’m expecting him to say the thing that you say when someone says they’ve had a baby: ‘Oh my god! You look great!'”
Continued Hathway, “It doesn’t matter if it’s true. If somebody says, ‘I had a baby 13 years ago,’ you say, ‘You look great.’ That is what you do. That is the etiquette. So I say to this guy, ‘I had a baby seven weeks ago.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, trying to lose the baby weight?'”
Ouch.
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Hathaway said she explained that she was just trying to regain her strength, then walked away and “cried a little bit.” We’ve all been there, haven’t we? When my first kid was about six months old, I was walking with her at the park and an older woman came up and started telling me her “tips” for losing my “big tummy.” I could’ve died right then and there.
There’s etiquette surrounding pregnancy and new motherhood, but no one seems to pay attention to it. They still comment on your size and shape, make assumptions about your health, and offer all kinds of ridiculous unsolicited advice. You learn to roll with it, and as a new mom, you develop a thick skin pretty damn quick. Hopefully Hathaway didn’t let this dude’s assumption that she needs to lose weight bother her too much. Baby or not, she looks absolutely fabulous. Actually, Moms, we all do.
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