Singer Halsey was a no-show at the 2021 Met Gala, making an excellent point about expectations for working mothers.
“I’m still breastfeeding,” Halsey, who welcomed baby Ender in July with boyfriend Alex Aydin, said in a now-deleted tweet Tuesday. “I only had my baby 7 weeks ago. There’s nothing more ‘American fashion’ than moms having to go back to work after just giving birth lol.”
The singer was referring to the Met Gala theme, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” and pointing out a cultural expectation for new moms to head back to the office (or red carpet, gym, or pre-baby life in general), in the United States, which doesn’t offer mandated paid leave. The companies that do offer it provide less time compared to policies in other countries.
According to Billboard, the artist added that pumping breast milk at the party “…would have been insanely painful. I understand I’m incredibly privileged to afford time off but the demands are still prevalent and the biology does not excuse me.”
While the Met Gala is fabulous, it is also essentially a work event for celebrities. A really, fun, swanky event, but work nonetheless. And it isn’t just time spent on the red carpet and inside the party — most celebs spend the entire day getting ready, after planning their lewk for weeks (or months) in advance with stylists and designers. It’s a job!
Halsey made sure that fans knew they weren’t just griping with an additional tweet: “My only point was people expecting me to be there so soon after having a baby and how it’s reflective of a more general social expectation of new moms in far more vulnerable positions. I wasn’t complaining at all!!!!”
The singer added, “Idk I got leaky hurty boobs, a bloody swollen uterus, and a human being that depends on me as a life force. I recognize my privilege every single day and the time it affords me with my baby. but like it or not my body is gonna do what it wants. I’m doing my best to juggle it all!”
We feel you, Halsey! You’re doing great.
Celebrate the beauty of different breastfeeding journeys through these photographs.
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