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Padma Lakshmi Proudly Shows Off Stretch Marks, Embraces a Body Changed by Motherhood and Epic Eating
She's loving what her mama — and 47 years of life — gave her.
Padma Lakshmi, at age 47, is so far beyond caring what anyone thinks of what she really looks like. So the Top Chef siren posted a picture of herself on Instagram Stories that points out her stretch marks with a caption, "Hey stretch." Clearly, she's owning her whole self, and what a life well lived has made of her body over time.
(Of course, it's relentless stunner Padma. And the picture is wicked hot.)
She has revealed in the past that she gains an average of 10 to 15 pounds each season on Top Chef by eating about 8,000 calories a day and then usually follows it up with a restrictive diet banning meat, wheat, sweets, fried foods — and joy — to get back into her size 0 fighting shape.
But this year, it's different, as she pointed out in an essay for The Hollywood Reporter; she doesn't care if she fits in the sample size dresses for awards season anymore and she's being more conscious of what her daughter takes in when it comes to body image.
"She noticed, and suddenly she's told me and others in our circle, 'I don't want to eat because I'm watching my figure,' or, 'I weigh too much,' " she wrote. "Her comments stopped me dead in my tracks. Her words scared me. Language matters. We send signals to our daughters every day. And I am her first touchstone of femininity."
So this year, she's reveling in knowing where the best In N Out Burger locations are... and realizing that eating is her honest to goodness job (and a pretty incredible one at that) and viewers are depending on her.
Amen to all that!
