Kylie Kelce Is 'Not Gonna Lie' About The Tough Reality Of Post-Partum Dressing

Kylie Kelce knows a thing or two about pregnancy and motherhood, as the former athlete has welcomed four daughters with her husband, retired NFL player Jason Kelce. But recently, Kelce has been speaking out against one underacknowledged challenge of childbirth: Adjusting to the new reality of a post-partum physique.

In June 2026, Kelce opened up about dressing and body image after labor on Episode 69 of her "Not Gonna Lie" podcast. "It sucks dressing yourself after you give birth. ... It is hard to look at your body that does not look like your body that you've lived with your whole life. It has changed in a way that is permanent and now you have to figure out how to dress it, not only in regular clothing, but in bathing suits. That sucks."

While we'd argue that Kylie Kelce's complete transformation has been a glow-up, her point is very valid. It can be strange, stressful, and even emotionally painful coping with a new, unfamiliar body type. As Kelce observed to Today.com, "As women, when our bodies change — whether it's through pregnancy or whether it's through aging — obviously there's always this moment of like, 'That's not how that used to look!'" And even celebs like Kelce can find it difficult to adjust, both mentally and in the practical matter of building a wardrobe after having a baby.

Plenty of pregnant celebrities have given us inspo for chic maternity style. But what about dressing post-partum bodies? As Kylie Kelce bemoans, dressing after childbirth can be a tough landscape to traverse. At 5 feet 11 inches, Kelce has always struggled to find clothes that suit her tall frame. And her changing body shape has only added more complexity to the issue — especially when it comes to sourcing long torso pieces, like finding bikini bottoms that are high-waisted enough to hide her navel.

"I need tummy control. ... I need something that covers my belly button," she shared in Episode 69 of "Not Gonna Lie." "I had my belly button pierced and it stretched out with the rest of my belly while I was making human beings and then it never went back. It is truly something that bothers me so much." Laughing ruefully, Kelce continued, "Have you ever seen the lip of a rhinoceros? ... That's what the top of my belly button looks like. Would you want that to be out and about?"

But Kelce also acknowledges that, like many of us, she's her own worst critic. "The person who is the most concerned about what you look like in your bathing suit, is you. ... Other people are not going to be highly bothered by your bathing suit or how you look in it," she said. As such, we should all give ourselves a little grace — and not let our insecurities take the wheel.

Kylie Kelce's recent comments aren't the first time she's used her podcast to share thoughts on post-partum bodies. During Episode 27 of "Not Gonna Lie" in July 2025, Kelce criticized the idea that new mothers should strive to "bounce back" and recover their pre-pregnancy figure. "We should be more concerned about the overall well-being of women post-partum. I don't think that we need to bounce back," she declared. "I can't bounce back my stretch marks. They're with me forever. Do I like them? Let's be honest, no. I liked when my tummy didn't have a bunch of little ridges in it. But guess what? It does. Do I still look damn good? Yes."

While there are some remedies for lingering post-natal changes — for instance, witch hazel may help improve stretch marks — Kelce's point stands. As she continued, "I feel like the worst piece about the 'bouncing back' is that it is a comparison to either your body before you had kids or people around you. Cut it out. We do not need to compare ourselves, ladies. ... There is beauty in the fact that we are unique from each other."

Kelce also believes that there is beauty in the stories behind every wrinkle, stretch mark, and extra pound. "In the generation that I grew up in, it was a lot of discussing bodies instead of how much they could do. I'm so glad that the narrative is shifting," Kelce told Today.com. "My body has made four little girls. ... The changes that have come from that are just a gentle reminder of what my body was capable of and I'm very, very grateful for that."