There’s a reason we have this image of a new mama that involves a stained shirt and unwashed hair thrown into a messy bun thrown into a messy bun—new motherhood doesn’t exactly leave you with a lot of time to groom yourself. For a mother of a newborn, sometimes even squeezing in time for a quick shower is a major accomplishment.

And if Katy Perry’s recent confession is any indication, that’s a universal truth of new motherhood, no matter how wealthy or famous you may be.

The American Idol judge welcomed daughter Daisy with Orlando Bloom in August. Now she’s getting real about the ways motherhood has changed her personal care routine. Perry’s revelation came on the latest episode of Idol after one contestant blew the judges away with her performance.


“Your voice is a spiritual experience,” Perry told the contestant. “It is otherworldly, angelic. As a new mother I don’t have very much time so I’ve quit shaving my legs. But when you sang, the hair on my legs grew an inch an a half. Full body chills! It was amazing.”


FULL CIRCLE! Cassandra Coleman Sings “Find Me” + “Apologize” With Ryan Tedder! – American Idol 2021

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Let’s hear it for that kind of realness! Of course, that’s not to say every mama has to give up her grooming rituals. If you can make it work and it makes you feel more like yourself in those hazy days of early motherhood, more power to you, mama! Keep up that leg-shaving, that blow-drying, that makeup-applying or whatever it is that’s important to you. But if you can’t keep up with your usual routines? Well, there’s nothing wrong with that and you’re certainly not alone.

Actually, you’re in pretty great company: Fellow judge Luke Bryan confirmed that Perry was telling the truth about not shaving her legs. After Perry lifted her legs to show them on camera, Bryan peeked and confirmed that “she literally has leg hair”.

Choosing not to shave your legs is a decision all people are free to make, of course—and that applies whether or not they’re in the throes of early motherhood. But Perry made it pretty clear: being a mama is no walk in the park, and even the famous mothers among us struggle to find time for themselves, particularly as they navigate that major life shift that sets in when you become a mom. Adjustments need to be made, routines need to be altered, and “me time” takes on a whole new meaning. And we can all relate to that, can’t we?