Olivia Wilde is one of the most gorgeous and enviable women in Hollywood, and yet she seems perfectly grounded and realistic when it comes to body and beauty expectations. In a new interview with Shape magazine, the acclaimed actress opened up on her post-birth body, motherhood, and how she responds to unrealistic markers for women.
Olivia stunned while pregnant at last year's Oscars Photo: Getty Images
"I am not in perfect shape," the 31-year-old said in the April issue, specifically responding to how some Hollywood moms "bounce back" all too quickly after giving birth. "In fact, I'm softer than I've ever been, including that unfortunate semester in high school when I simultaneously discovered Krispy Kreme and pot."
The down-to-earth House alum, who gave birth to baby Otis last April, even addresses her image in magazines, and how it's not exactly as it seems. "The photos of me in this magazine have been generously constructed to show my best angles, and I assure you, good lighting has been warmly embraced," she added. "The truth is, I'm a mother, and I look like one."
Olivia and fiancée Jason are often spotted at basketball games Photo: Getty Images
Olivia goes on to stress that she believes in a world in which new moms are not expected "to shed any physical evidence of their child-bearing experience." In fact, she adamantly prefers not to waste her time striving for an unattainable subjective perfection. "I'd rather rebuild my strength while dancing my ass off...literally," she explained.
Dance is something Olivia is certainly a fan of — it's her exercise of choice. And like the rest of us, getting motivated to work out is sometimes a struggle. "Listen, baby or no baby, getting out of the house to exercise is a serious achievement," she stated. "If you're going to haul your behind to a class, it's not going to be for anyone else; not your partner, nemesis, mother, or tabloid bloggers — just you."
Olivia and Justin looked all too stylish at SNL's 40th anniversary Photo: Getty Images
Olivia stunned at the ELLE Style Awards last month Photo: Getty Images
Talking about her baby with fiancée Jason Sudeikis, Olivia admitted she wouldn't mind spending more time indoors with her son. "If I wasn't at work, I just wanted to stay home and party with my little man — and by 'party' I mean, of course, endless rounds of the 'Itsy Bitsy Spider.,'" she continued. "Also, I like beer. And pizza. And these two ingredients are not found in the purely fictional book I like to call How to Look Like You Never Made a Human: A Guide to Socially Acceptable Motherhood."
Sounds like Olivia should write her own book on motherhood!
To read the full interview, pick up the April issue of Shape now on newsstands.
