tracy andersonIt's not hard to imagine that someone said to be BFF-tight with the likes of notoriously patronizing celeb skinnies Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna might be a bit judgmental about, well, real women. Nonetheless, celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson crossed a major line when she told DuJour magazine that she believes women use pregnancy as an "excuse to let their bodies go." Yup! Because pregnant women are playing the "with child" card just to stuff their faces with Ho-Hos, Cheetos, and pack on the pounds! They're just thrilled to work on achieving postpartum figures Anderson describes as "disaster bodies that have gone through hell."

The fitness guru, who ironically is a new mom herself, was on Good Morning America today to back-pedal and appease her publicist apologize for bashing other moms. It was a bit painfully clear that she wasn't that regretful.

Although she said ...

The last thing I would do is judge a woman, especially after children.

... Anderson then went on to ruin it with:

I think in today's society where we have all of this pressure to look a certain way, I feel like they turn to diet a lot ... So when they do get pregnant it's like "Oh my gosh!" It's not just like, "I'm going to let my body go for this pregnancy," It's also, "I can eat all the things that I never let myself eat." I see people that come to me after pregnancy and they didn't need to necessarily gain that much weight.

So, let's get this straight ... She apologizes for her delusional beliefs and then, in an attempt to clarify, just reiterates them in different words. Good job!

Although she did acknowledge that "pregnancy is difficult and every pregnancy is completely unique," it seems like she generalizes far too much about how conscientious (or not) women are about their baby weight. I can't think of anyone I know who upon getting pregnant said, "Yippee! I'm so happy I don't have to worry about my health anymore. Gimme that cheeseburger!" Hello! Being pregnant is even MORE reason to take care of yourself. I would think/hope more women believe and abide by that than those who are assuming pregnancy is an excuse to overindulge.

That said, Anderson's condescending attitude is not only a reflection of how distorted our views and expectations are about pregnancy weight gain and loss. It's also perpetuating a toxic idea that is causing women to suffer from issues like pregorexia or thinking they're -- in Anderson's word -- "disaster"s if they don't shed the baby weight overnight like whatever C-list celeb is on the newsstand this week.

I agree with her on one point: "It is empowering to get the weight off to get your body back." But women shouldn't feel pressured to do that in any particular way or timeframe. And the last thing they need is to be made to feel guilty for gaining pregnancy weight in a brainless, irresponsible way.

How do you feel about Tracy Anderson's remarks? Do you know anyone who used pregnancy as "an excuse to let their bodies go"?