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November 4, 2026 | Motherhood
Strong Arms, Tired Mothers: What Barbara Palvin’s Runway Moment Taught Me
A Note to Mothers Who Are Still Healing
If you are a mother who is still healing, I want you to know that your recovery is not a race, and it does not have a deadline set by anyone else.
You do not owe the world a camera-ready body, a display of strength, or an early return to your old life. Some days you will feel strong, and other days you will barely make it through the afternoon, and both are normal.
Take the help that is offered, and ask for help when it is not. Rest when you can, even if the laundry is not finished.
The strength Barbara showed on that runway is real, but so is the strength it takes to get through a night of interrupted sleep, a painful recovery, and a baby who needs you every hour.
Be proud of what you carry, and be gentle with the parts of you that are still healing.
You do not owe the world a camera-ready body, a display of strength, or an early return to your old life. Some days you will feel strong, and other days you will barely make it through the afternoon, and both are normal.
Take the help that is offered, and ask for help when it is not. Rest when you can, even if the laundry is not finished.
The strength Barbara showed on that runway is real, but so is the strength it takes to get through a night of interrupted sleep, a painful recovery, and a baby who needs you every hour.
Be proud of what you carry, and be gentle with the parts of you that are still healing.
Six Weeks Postpartum
The Flex That Stayed With Me
A Childhood Ritual
Victoria’s Secret has earned its share of criticism over the years, much of it deserved, for its leadership decisions and its narrow range of body types. I don’t agree with every choice the brand makes, but I can recognize an effort to change. This year’s show included models in larger bodies and a wider range of backgrounds, and as a mother of a young daughter, that matters to me.
I want my daughter to grow up seeing women’s bodies as they really are, including stretch marks, cellulite, and everything else that comes with a life in a woman’s body.
There is also something empowering about watching a woman walk the runway in her underwear, or sing music that celebrates her own body instead of performing for the male gaze. Women’s bodies deserve celebration, and I want my daughter to see that celebration often.
I want my daughter to grow up seeing women’s bodies as they really are, including stretch marks, cellulite, and everything else that comes with a life in a woman’s body.
There is also something empowering about watching a woman walk the runway in her underwear, or sing music that celebrates her own body instead of performing for the male gaze. Women’s bodies deserve celebration, and I want my daughter to see that celebration often.
That sentence stopped me, because I remember how little my own body felt like mine at that stage.
I was exhausted, and every part of me seemed scattered in a different direction. Even going to the bathroom was agony. Urine touching the tear sent a burning pain through me, and I dreaded every trip to the toilet. Leaving my breastfed daughter for longer than an hour was never an option for me at that point.
Palvin may have wanted to walk, and she may have chosen to. But the U.S. makes that choice harder than it should be. Federal law guarantees only unpaid leave, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 49% of private industry workers had access to paid family and medical leave through their employers as of March 2026. For many mothers, returning early is less a choice than a financial necessity.
I was exhausted, and every part of me seemed scattered in a different direction. Even going to the bathroom was agony. Urine touching the tear sent a burning pain through me, and I dreaded every trip to the toilet. Leaving my breastfed daughter for longer than an hour was never an option for me at that point.
Palvin may have wanted to walk, and she may have chosen to. But the U.S. makes that choice harder than it should be. Federal law guarantees only unpaid leave, and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 49% of private industry workers had access to paid family and medical leave through their employers as of March 2026. For many mothers, returning early is less a choice than a financial necessity.
Then there was Barbara Palvin.
Perhaps it was lingering hormones, or perhaps I am simply too empathetic, but I teared up when I saw her walk. She moved down the runway with radiant confidence.
On her return backstage, she briefly flexed both arms. It was quick, but it stayed with me. I read it as a quiet tribute to mothers, a reminder that we show up every day, often without rest, and keep going.
It suggested a strength beyond the physical: the mental resilience mothers draw on constantly, even while facing real obstacles such as unpaid parental leave, limited access to childcare, a lack of women’s health research, and inadequate postpartum care.
Her own words reinforced that impression.
Speaking to USA Today backstage, Palvin noted that maternity leave in the United States is typically six to eight weeks and that she was nearly six weeks postpartum. She described her decision to walk simply as “just doing what every woman does in America.”
Perhaps it was lingering hormones, or perhaps I am simply too empathetic, but I teared up when I saw her walk. She moved down the runway with radiant confidence.
On her return backstage, she briefly flexed both arms. It was quick, but it stayed with me. I read it as a quiet tribute to mothers, a reminder that we show up every day, often without rest, and keep going.
It suggested a strength beyond the physical: the mental resilience mothers draw on constantly, even while facing real obstacles such as unpaid parental leave, limited access to childcare, a lack of women’s health research, and inadequate postpartum care.
Her own words reinforced that impression.
Speaking to USA Today backstage, Palvin noted that maternity leave in the United States is typically six to eight weeks and that she was nearly six weeks postpartum. She described her decision to walk simply as “just doing what every woman does in America.”
For as long as I can remember, I have tuned in to the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Embarrassingly, my sister and I used to turn up the music, strut down an imaginary runway, and practice our best model walks. We wave to the crowd, pose dramatically, and give a nonchalant wink. We still do, if I’m honest (who are we kidding?).
