Victoria's Secret model Behati Prinsloo took nearly three years off from work when she had children: ‘Not everybody has that luxury’

Kerry Justich
·Health and Wellness Staff Writer

Behati Prinsloo made her return to the Victoria’s Secret runway back in November after taking a two-year hiatus from the show to give birth to her daughters, Dusty, 2, and Gio, 1, with husband, Adam Levine. But already the mom is taking on a new cause and using her platform for good with her involvement in Save the Rhino Trust Namibia — and she says her ability to take on the new project has a lot to do with her time off.

In an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle on the BUILD Series stage, the 31-year-old explained that her back-to-back pregnancies allowed her to feel both energized and motivated to get back to work. However, she acknowledged that having nearly three years off to nurture those pregnancies and her newborns was a luxury that not many women have. Although she thinks they should.

“Society puts so much pressure on us as moms and as working moms,” Prinsloo said. “I was very lucky to be able to take time. Not everybody has that luxury, and I think that should be a luxury every mother has. To take, I don’t know, six months to a year and work from home or don’t feel that pressure to be back in the office, so you can really experience this moment in time.”

Prinsloo went on to say that it’s important for women to have their jobs to go back to in order to make money and feel independent. Still, taking necessary time off as a new mother allowed her to feel more comfortable and excited when returning to work, which for her meant getting back onto the runway.

“I really didn’t put pressure on myself. I felt healthy pressure. I felt a healthy drive to get back,” she said. “I didn’t go on crazy diets and try to kill myself to do it. But I was motivated. I think back-to-back pregnancies really motivate you.”

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