Perhaps It's Time To Normalize Post-Pregnancy Bodies — Jennifer Garner Wholeheartedly Agrees

May 25, 2021

Jennifer Garner was the star of the 2000s. Not only was she a household name thanks to her performance in the hit television show “Alias,” but she also appeared in a number of hit films during that period, such as “Pearl Harbor,” “Catch Me If You Can” and “13 Going On 30.” A lot of time has transpired since then, however. While Garner is still showing up for blockbuster roles, the 49-year-old actress has other responsibilities on her mind, too.

Garner has had three children — son, Samuel Garner Affleck, and daughters Violet Anne Affleck and Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck — with prominent actor and director Ben Affleck, whom she was married to from 2005 to 2018.

Although the pair announced their intention to split in 2015, just three years after Samuel was born, the two movie stars are often pictured together with their kids, which makes it seem like family is important to both of them. While Garner is reportedly single now, that doesn’t stop people from speculating whether the “13 Going On 30” actress is pregnant again, though she denies those claims.

On a March episode of Giovanna Fletcher’s “Happy Mum, Happy Baby” podcast, which focuses on motherhood and parenting, Garner opened up about pregnancy speculation and her life as a mom, speaking to everything from her post-baby body to the reason why she thinks gratitude is the best way to move on in life.

And as of now, Garner is still busy in Hollywood with a film that came out in March 2021, the family comedy “Yes Day,” and another film, a science fiction movie, set to premiere in 2022.

Garner kicks off her podcast appearance by speaking to women’s bodies post-pregnancy. Garner, who has had three children, says that while some women are able to “bounce back” immediately after having kids, she has had different experiences.

"It's incredible. I have so many girlfriends who have that physique, and I'm so happy for them," she told Fletcher, only to add, "I am not one of them. That is not my gig."

But that doesn’t mean that Garner isn’t fit — far from it. According to Woman’s Health, the actress works with professional trainer Simone De La Rue to stay in shape.

"We'll do something that's traditional strength training, and the next minute we’ll be dancing to build agility and core strength," De La Rue told Woman’s Health. "I really mix it up, and we're never doing one thing. She does everything, which is incredible!"

Some typical exercises for Garner include ab exercises, planks, pushups and lifting, which is enough to make anyone exhausted — not to mention a 49-year-old mother of three!

"I can work really hard, and I can be really fit and I will still look like a woman who's had three babies, and I always will," Garner explained in her interview with Fletcher.

In spite of her workout routine and insistence that she doesn’t want to have more kids, both the public and the media have played a role in creating rumors surrounding Garner and a possible fourth child, implying that the actress has gained weight. On an episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” from 2014, Garner denied that she was pregnant and promoted body positivity.

"I am not pregnant, but I've had three kids and there is a bump,” Garner joked on the show. “From now on, ladies, I will have a bump, and it will be my baby bump. Let's just all settle in and get used to it. It's not going anywhere. Its name is Violet, Sam and Sera."

On Fletcher’s podcast, Garner opened up about that episode of Ellen, which received uproarious applause from the studio audience in 2014 and continues to resonate with mothers around the world.

"I just thought, I might as well address it and Ellen was so sweet to let me,” Garner said. “But I just felt like we might as well?"

"It's still happening," she added. "I'm 48, and I'm single, and it's still happening. So you might as well take that bull by the horns."

According to the CommentsByCelebs Instagram account — a public account that publishes replies that prominent figures and celebrities make on social media — it seems that people are still asking Garner if she’s pregnant even after her announcement on Ellen’s show. With that said, this random user’s 2020 comment didn’t seem to get to the mother of three. In fact, Garner had a perfect comeback.

"I am 48, have three healthy kids, and am not—and never will be—pregnant. We can lay that pupper to rest," she wrote. "Have I gained the Covid 19? Possibly. But that is another story.”

If there’s any advice worth taking from the recent podcast episode — or many of the body-positive comments Garner has made over the years — it’s that being grateful for one’s body is important.

"It's just a body. Be grateful to it. It carried you this far. It carried babies for you. What else do you want? My goodness."

What do you think about Garner’s comments on having a post-pregnancy body? Do you feel similarly? Let us know — and be sure to pass this on to friends and family members.