There’s no doubt that motherhood is a transformation, both physically and mentally. Strangely enough in Hollywood, motherhood is great for your public image as well.
Former wild child, Nicole Richie is a prime example of the benefits and blessings of having a baby. Gone are the papparazzi pictures of her all too skinny frame stumbling out of nightclubs and causing trouble like some other notable Hollywood IT girls. No longer are the gossip sites bashing her for DUIs and reckless behavior. The 26-year-old former Simple Life star has mellowed out and many closest to her have remarked at how “conservative and protective” she is now. Richie’s daughter, Harlow Winter Kate Richie-Madden was born on January 11, 2008.
Maybe having a baby makes you more human and your flaws acceptable. Maybe we can relate to her more as a mother. Either way, there’s no question had she followed on the track she was on prior to Harlow, who knows where she’d be. Richie even says herself that, “Harlow saved me.”
Very true, in more ways that one.
Richie shares her views on motherhood, Harlow and mellowing out in a recent Bazaar interview .
On motherhood: “It’s so surprisingly fun. Everybody talks about how difficult it is in the first three months, but I absolutely love it.”
On her post-baby body: “Half my wardrobe is already stretched. Not all my clothes fit the same. I don’t even think it’s a weight thing; I think your body just changes after you have a baby. I don’t care either way, but I’m not used to having a tank top or bra underneath my clothes [regarding her new cleavage]. You always hear that people with blond hair or larger breasts get more attention, but I never really thought that was real! I like wearing shirts that are a bit see-through because before it didn’t really matter. But now it’s like, Uh-oh, I could get arrested.”
On her pregnancy style: “It’s not like I blew up overnight. It gradually happened, and then I wasn’t pregnant anymore. When my jeans stopped fitting, I wore the Balenciaga riding pants.” She is deeply in love with Balenciaga and brimming with excitement about the new boots she was recently sent. “I like to be comfortable,” she explains. “Luckily for me, I’m completely comfortable in six-inch heels.”
On Harlow’s dad, Joel Madden lead singer of the rock band Good Charlotte: “He has a different way of thinking. But at the same time, he’s never tried to change me. And if anything, we were friends first. We just have fun together. Joel is the family diaper changer. He is a family boy and one of four children. He is very conservative. I want five children, twin boys and three girls. I’ve wanted that since I was a little girl.”
On how motherhood has changed her: “You know, I went through a stage of thinking that once you had a baby, you moved to Brentwood, had a white picket fence, and it changed your entire life. But I love where I am right now. Every single thing is for Harlow. Joel took me out last week, and he was like, ‘Why don’t we go out and have a shopping day?’ But I ended up only going to kid stores. I didn’t get to buy shoes or anything.”
Both are wary of bringing up a child in Los Angeles as it can be difficult not become jaded. Despite the papparazzi, Nichole loves Los Angeles and ironically enough shares that “it would completely break my heart if she got a tattoo.”
Funny how our perspective changes as parents.
