(audience cheering) - She was featured
on this month's cover of Health magazine.
And it's the first un-retouched cover
in the magazine's history.
(audience applauds and cheers)
So let's talk about your cover.
I mean, is it hard?
Because everything nowadays is so filtered and so retouched.
Was it hard and scary,
especially six months after you're having a baby?
- Oh, it was so scary.
And leading up,
I was still breast feeding when I did this shoot.
And I was just freaking out the whole time--
- That part was probably good
because they're real full (laughs)
- I didn't need the help.
- Oh, some of us do, Kate.
(audience laughs)
- I didn't need any extra.
No.
But you know, un-retouched is actually
really hard for everybody on set, I noticed.
The makeup artist and the hair stylist,
everyone's like, "Oh my God!
"What are we gonna do with her bruise on her knee?
"Who's gonna cover it?
"The makeup's not covering it!"
Everything's very stressful.
And doing it in natural lighting
adds that very real element as well.
- Boy, natural lighting is not my friend.
(audience laughs)
- That's such a lie. - I like a soft,
amber dim light. - Stop!
(audience laughs)
No, but it was really important for me to do this.
Because we're on Instagram all the time,
and we see people Photoshopping everything.
You're like, when does it end?
And when you're scrolling on Instagram,
you constantly compare yourself to these other people.
And for me, I wanted to take a step back
and show a real moment
of someone who actually is six months postpartum,
is not being Photoshopped.
And be that real person and real influence
for other people. - I love it.
(audience applauds) I think it's awesome.
We have four kids,
and two of them are teenagers.
One's almost a teenager.
And literally it's so hard on social media
because everybody compares you.
And if you don't get enough likes,
it cancels something out.
It's like everything has to be validated in social media,
and everything is filtered,
so I think it's really cool
that you're such a,
I mean, you're a super model.
So all these girls look up to you.
Especially like,
it's really cool that you're brave and okay to do it.
- Yeah, and why are we comparing our bodies post partum
to all these Photoshopped?
When we should be admiring our bodies
that we even created life!
- Creating humans. - Conversation should change!
(audience cheers and applauds)
- Like, created central nervous systems.
- Exactly! - You're welcome.
- Give ourselves a little bit more time to bounce back.
We don't need to do it two months.
- I'm in the middle of bouncing.
(audience and Kate laughs)
No, but even before the Health magazine cover though,
people always used to say
that you're too curvy.
Which I'm like,
"I wish I was Kate Upton, the super curvy
"super model."
Is that nuts to you?
- When it was first happening,
obviously it was really hard,
'cause I was like,
"I work out all the time.
"Why is everyone calling me fat?"
And now the conversation has completely changed
and people are like,
"What? When did people say that?"
And that just shows how the industry's changing,
how our voice matters,
and things can change.
We mean something. (audience applauds)
We can change something.
- Have you connected with other women
because of this cover?
- Yes!
You know, because of this cover
I actually started a hashtag,
#sharestrong
just on Instagram
to create a community
where we could all share
our real selves,
or what continues to motivate us
to continue being strong.
And a lot of people are posting no makeup selfies,
or their stories.
It's so great to go on that hashtag
and get inspiration from all these other women.
Because we're so strong.
And to be able to share in each other's strength
is what makes women so amazing.
- Absolutely.
(audience applauds) And also, it's,
people don't realize
even if you're a woman and you've never had kids,
there's so much going on after you have a baby.
Not only your body is just giving up,
but your emotional state is kinda crazy.
So somebody talking to someone
that's just had a baby in a photo shoot
saying, "You need to loosen,"
that will send you in a spiral.
- Oh yeah.
The hormones are crazy.
And no one talks about it.
The hormones after pregnancy, for me,
were crazier than when I was pregnant.
And it took forever for them to calm down.
Months after breast feeding.
I might still be hormonal.
(Kelly laughs)
- No, here's my best,
this is my best story.
So I was,
I freaked out.
'cause I had to,
I was pumping because I was working at the same time--
- Which is the worst!
- Pumping is the worst! - The worst!
- It's so painful,
I don't care what anyone says.
Anyway,
but somebody had kinda tossed out,
and it was only a tiny bit of breast milk
left in the bottle. - No.
No!
- I lost my ever living,
like a crazy person.
Went in my closet and just (cries)
collapsed on the floor and was crying.
'cause I was like,
"You have no idea how hard I worked for that!"
(audience laughs)
And really, there was like nothing in the bottle.
I'm crazy.
But literally, it's just a hormonal period
and I don't think people take that into account,
especially when we're women in the public eye.
Like, it is a hard time.
- And our energy is literally being sucked out of us
so you don't feel like yourself.
- Literally, it's being sucked out of us.
- Literally, it's being sucked out of you.
It is so difficult.
And something people need to talk about more.
- I 100%,
I talk about it any chance I can.
(audience laughs)
I complain about pregnancy and all that any chance I can.
It's beautiful, and I love my children,
and you love your child. - Yes.
- But here's my thing.
Your share strong is your daughter, right?
- Yes.
- So how is she your share strong?
I love that.
- Well you know, I want to
be the example she can look up to.
And I want to create a happy, healthy world
for her to grow up in.
- Yeah, of course.
We actually have a mom here today
who was inspired by Kate.
Say hello to Alex.
(audience applauds and cheers)
You look beautiful. - [Kate] Beautiful.
- Like, the red lip with the red skirt,
I'm into it.
So what do you want to say to Kate?
- I'm Alex, I'm a new mom,
and I just want to say thank you.
When I was pregnant,
I was a little over,
I mean before I was pregnant,
I was a little over 100 pounds,
and I'm ashamed to admit it,
but I was so afraid to gain weight
and what I would look like.
And then I got pregnant,
and I found out I was having a baby girl.
And I knew that if
I wanted her to love herself
that it had to start with me.
I loved being pregnant,
I loved the big belly.
But then towards the end
I started getting those nervous feelings again.
Like, what am I gonna look like?
Will I still be strong?
What will people think?
And I had her, and I loved my body.
But then I saw you on the cover of Health,
and un-retouched
and it was so inspiring.
It made me realize like,
I don't owe anybody pretty or perfect or skinny.
(audience applauds and cheers) Or anything.
And to just
be an example
for my daughter
and to just be someone she can look up to
and be strong for my daughter
is the best thing that I could be.
And you don't know how many people you've touched,
so just thank you so much.
- Thank you.
We're all on our own journeys,
it's so important for us to share them.
Thank you so much.
- Thank you.
- I mean, what do you think about that?
There's got to be so many women,
especially in the field that you're in,
that you touch like that.
- No, it means so much to me,
because you know,
when you hear all the criticism
sometimes you're like,
"Why am I doing this?"
And stories like that I realize,
this is exactly why I'm doing this
and we're all in it together.
And we're all experiencing it together.
So thank you so much for sharing that.
(audience applauds)
- And beauty is many things.
My favorite thing is,
why I think you're so beautiful coming out,
yes aesthetically you're beautiful,
but you have a certain confidence about you.
And I love,
I think confidence is so sexy.
It's the sexiest thing on a man or a woman.
I think
just be happy, be confident,
and you'll exude it.
- Yeah, but we all go through our ups and downs.
We don't all feel confident all the time.
But it's working,
getting back to that confident place, that's so important.
And that journey there.
- Yes, I love you!