Suki Waterhouse’s hospitalisation, following a viral tweet about tight trousers and a hernia, has opened up a conversation about the pressures of postpartum recovery and the scrutiny faced by new mothers in the public eye.
Suki Waterhouse shook the internet and gained over six million views by tweeting the following:
“suki you never tweet anymore” have you ever considered I wore pants so tight 6 months ago it caused a hernia & I’ve been too scared to tell you.
The caption was accompanied by two images – one of Waterhouse’s tour, where she is pictured in the aforementioned tight trousers, and a selfie of her in the hospital.
The statement created confusion among her fans and left some wondering whether gaining a hernia as a result of tight clothing was even possible. It is unlikely that tight clothing was the sole reason for causing the hernia, especially as compression garments are known to be used in the treatment of the condition rather than its causation. There are many types of hernias and, therefore, many ways they can occur, including postnatally.
Waterhouse gave birth to her daughter in March of 2024, which was revealed to the public via an Instagram post captioned, ‘welcome to the world angel’.
The world was desperate to see images of the couple’s new identities and experiences as mother and father figures. In the early weeks after giving birth to her daughter, Waterhouse shared candid images of the reality of the changes the growing body goes through, the aftermath of birth and the realities of motherhood.
The now-deleted post was accompanied by photos of her newly postpartum figure with the words:
“the fourth trimester has been… humbling! The postpartum period has been filled with exhilarating joy, so much laughter, tears, soo many hormones! I’m proud of everything my body has achieved and proud of the kindness and grace I’ve given myself during this recovery period.”.
One post showed a candid photo wearing disposable underwear by motherhood brand Frida. Fans expressed gratitude towards the essence of the post in a world that encourages conversations around ‘bouncing back’.
When it was announced that Waterhouse would be launching The Sparklemuffin Tour just two months after giving birth, this sparked the usual unnecessary and unsolicited discourse and commentary as to whether she is ready to go back to work – a common debate imposed upon new mothers. Since re-entering the public eye post-baby, Waterhouse has been susceptible to being inundated with unwarranted observations, criticism and misplaced compliments on her ‘post-baby body’ – this commentary feeding further into the ‘bounce back’ diet culture imposed upon new mothers.
‘Bounce back’ culture is often not just a pressure but can have dangerous or even devastating effects. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE, 2020) stated that postnatally 15-20% of women experience depression or anxiety. Another report by the Office of Health Improvements and Disparities found that 1.2% of women developed severe mental health problems such as eating disorders (this stat is used not to speculate as to whether Waterhouse has been effected by an eating disorder but to show the danger of these misguided ideologies around motherhood). 1.2% may sound small but in actuality, it equates to between 6,600-7,455 women gaining severe mental health issues postnatally.
Six months into her motherhood journey, Waterhouse pondered:
“I don’t know if you can be prepared for all the emotional and physical changes that come after birth. A few months in I’m starting to feel a lot more like myself, but the hormones are still there and can catch me at unexpected moments. I think surrendering to the changes has been the best thing I could have done.”
In August 2024, Waterhouse herself has discussed the pressures and expectations thrust onto new mums. In conversation with Vogue, Waterhouse drew attention to the fact that “every mum’s morality is in question so much, not just from yourself, but from society. Everyone’s projecting something onto you. That’s an insane thing.”. This statement explains why her child has been kept out of the limelight, even going as far as to keep the child’s name and face from the press.
Unfortunately, there are reasons to suspect a connection between the criticism imposed on Waterhouse post-birth, the expectations on her body to ‘bounce back’ and return to its original model form, the deleting of candid posts on the postpartum body and journey and the subsequent hospitalisation of Waterhouse allegedly due to wearing tight clothing.
Comparatively, Suki Waterhouse’s husband, Robert Pattinson, was described as being on ‘dad duty’ as well as discussing the joys that fatherhood has brought him. Not to say that this perspective is not valid and valuable, but it is easy to see the stark difference between the media coverage of celebrity motherhood vs fatherhood. The male is painted to be a glowing figure in his child’s life for the simple act of being present, whereas the mother’s body, mind, behaviours and decisions are put under a magnifying glass to be criticised.
The postpartum body is often told to exist not as it is but as it should be, squeezed, starved and morphed into some remnant of a past self and unfortunately, sometimes these metaphysical societal pressures all too often have tangible consequences. I fear this may have been one.
Suki Waterhouse and Robert Pattinson’s life as a couple has been clandestine since its inception. Starting with five years hidden from the public eye, a secret wedding ceremony that has been rumoured and never confirmed, as well as keeping the name of their daughter private too. I hope that Suki Waterhouse, through protecting the privacy of her partnership and her daughter, can find her village, one that will uplift and support her.
