Chrissy Teigen Shares an Unedited Vacation Photo and Moms Are Praising Her

The mom of four is showing off her true self.

Fact checked by Sarah Scott

Chrissy Teigen is known for giving an unfiltered look at life and motherhood—she’s been open about her IVF journey and experiencing pregnancy loss in September 2020. Recently, she kept things real yet again (in a lighter way) when she shared a slideshow of a family vacation to Thailand.

You see her adorable brood with husband John Legend kayaking, spinning around a kitchen, and napping. One of the photos also shows Teigen in a bathing suit. The image doesn't appear to be edited or filtered—it’s the one-time Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model showing her true self.

And it’s beautiful—not just physically but in a deeper way that's resonating with her followers.

Why Chrissy Teigen’s Unedited Photos Matter for New Parents

Teigen, who gave birth to her third child in January 2023 and welcomed a fourth via surrogacy that June, didn’t post anything about her physical appearance. There was no, “Look at my real postpartum body.” Instead, the caption was simply, “My homeland is magic…winding down dump.”

Yet, other parents appreciated that she didn’t try to cover anything up (not with a literal cover-up—that’s her right—but with fancy editing). To be clear, it's not that she needed to, but it's what we're all so used to when scrolling on social media.

“Beautiful and natural,” wrote one. “Thank you [for] not [promoting] artificial standards of beauty.”

“I feel like this picture is unedited (you look beautiful), but also…thank you,” said another.

“Every woman looking at this photo of one absolutely stunning mother is thinking THANK YOU!!!!” raved an appreciative fan.

“Your unedited photo is gorgeous. You don’t even know how it helps people of all ages!” said someone else.

Let’s Keep the Unedited Posts Coming

Listen, what Teigen posted isn’t groundbreaking. But social media is a weird place. On the one hand, we can all become 1990s high-end magazine art directors and crop, filter, and angle our way to showcasing an “ideal” body. It’s a toxic notion and one that can promote disordered eating and exercise habits and is just generally unfair to people who, you know, grew and gave birth to the next generation of humans.

On the other side, more and more celebs (and non-famous parents) are taking to platforms to showcase their authentic selves, changing the narrative that photos from those aforementioned magazine art directors helped create from newly postpartum cover stars decades ago. Ashley Graham and Peloton instructors like Selena Samuela and Callie Gullickson have shown relatable photos of life postpartum—you know, bumps that don’t just deflate and adult diapers. If you know, you know.

So, no, Teigen’s unedited photos aren’t “new.” But they add to a meaningful conversation that we should never stop having about the realities of postpartum bodies. And that reality is that, yes, some people will give birth and go home looking like they were never pregnant. There are a lot of factors that play into that, including genetics, which we cannot control.

However, most will have transformed bodies because guess what? Pregnancy and birth are transformative events—mentally, emotionally, and, yes, physically. And we shouldn't feel pressured to filter any of it.

When I was newly postpartum, multiple well-meaning people told me, “Remember, nine months in, nine months out. Give yourself that time.” Yet, that’s not always the case either. It wasn’t for me—so please know you’re not alone if it isn’t for you.

When I wasn’t anywhere near about to fit in my old clothes at nine months postpartum with my first and second (despite breastfeeding), I felt like I failed. I ran marathons before I got pregnant and was considered fit. These days, I do fit into my pre-baby clothes and am back to marathon running, but I have two C-section scars and an umbilical hernia. My kids point to it, and I tell them it was their former food source. I also have a way stronger upper body (lifting two kids—sometimes at once—will do that to you).

Ultimately, I feel proud of my body and like it has nothing left to prove, which should be the standard from the get-go. It was a hard journey to get there, and other people may be on it now. That’s why Teigen's post is important. It can lighten the load and release unfair expectations we place on ourselves and that society places on us.

When someone who walks red carpets, writes cookbooks, and has a history of being on magazine covers showcases her genuine body, it normalizes a far less toxic idea that all bodies are beautiful to anyone scrolling through. I’m glad she posted them for others to see.

While these photos may not be surprising to people who cover parenting trends, they may be new to the parent who just gave birth. It can help them feel less alone and more confident. They deserve that.

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