Not only during pregnancy, but also after pregnancy, a woman will undergo many natural changes throughout the course. One common change to the body will be weight gain. These changes can affect women mentally and physically, and the last thing they need is for people to make fun of them as they navigate a new journey in their lives.
Singer Ashanti has been vocal about wanting to become a mother for the longest time. Three months after the singer rekindled her relationship with rapper Nelly, who is already a father, the two secretly tied the knot, and it was speculated that the two were also expecting a child together. It wasn’t until April 2024 that Ashanti confirmed that she and Nelly were expecting their first child together in a video on her Instagram account.
“I’m so proud of my body for giving me my baby, baby, baby, baby, baby.”
On July 18th, 2025, Ashanti and Nelly welcomed their son, Kareem Kenkaide Hayes. In an Instagram post showing the singer in a postpartum mirror selfie with the caption: “Funny how life’s plans aren’t…always on time…lol. I’ve always been waiting to be a mom for a long time now, but nothing could prepare me for EVERYTHING motherhood brings! This is what postpartum looks like… I’m so proud of my body for giving me my baby, baby, baby, baby, baby.”
A year after giving birth to her son, Ashanti was shown continuing to enjoy motherhood while on vacation in Barbados. In pictures and videos taken by the paparazzi, the singer and her one-year-old son were seen enjoying a day at the beach. One thing that caught people’s attention was the singer’s post-baby figure, which appeared to be much curvier. While some saw no issue in her figure, noting she had curves that are considered enviable, others took it as an opportunity to body-shame her, and they did not hold back.
“Um, she’s way past the curvy stage,” “Enviable, she’s a big woman,” and “Dayum, Ashanti got fat, that’s crazy,” were some of the negative comments that were made.
Some fans came to Ashanti’s defence, noting that she should be left alone and allowed to exist in peace as a new mother, and I agree with that.
People tend to forget that pregnancy and giving birth to a child can change a woman physically and mentally. While some women will look the same as they did before pregnancy, others will go through natural changes. Regardless, let’s have some compassion for women as they have to navigate through a new journey.
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