The internet is in an uproar after Alabama rapper Flo Milli popped out for a festival performance just days after announcing the birth of her first child. You may be wondering why so many folks are outraged by Flo, whose real name is Tamia Monique Carter, stepping back on stage so soon. But the debate goes deeper than just her.
In fact, the long standing question of how soon is too soon for a woman to return to the work force after giving birth is more complicated than you may think. This so-called “bounce back” culture— the idea that moms need to lose their baby weight and get back to life before pregnancy as soon as possible— has been deemed toxic for many reasons, especially for Black mothers who might not have the luxury of staying home with their children.
After Carter hit the stage at the RiverBeat Music Festival this past weekend, many online praised her for getting back to work so quickly. “Strong enough to bear the children then get back to business,” @16cartridges wrote, quoting a line from Beyoncé’s song “Run the World (Girls).” Another user, @dammitspamit, said “SHE IS A SUPERWOMAN!!!!! just had a baby and she’s still hitting them stages, IKTR!!!”
Other folks were worried about Flo’s health, with @January_Bones tweeting, “Our society has a terrible obsession with ‘hustle’ culture. This isn’t the flex her team think it is, it’s exploitation.” @dajkruhnay called out those in the comments glamorizing Flo’s “bounce back.” She said on X, “she should be resting. This is exactly why black women deal with the bulls**t that we do.”
There’s a lot of truth to the sentiment. A 2015 study conducted by the National Library of Medicine found “African American women return to work on average two weeks earlier than women from other racial and ethnic groups.” And let’s not even get started on how Black women experience maternal mortality rates three to four times that of white women, according to the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance (MMHLA).
After giving birth, Black women historically have less support than other groups, so this means they have to get back to business quicker than most. MMHLA also found more than 50 percent of postpartum depression cases in women of color go unreported. So with little support and the fear of missing too much work, Black mothers, like Flo Milli, are forced to make a critical decision about when to “bounce back.”
She responded to the hate on X, saying, “God forbid a girl just wanna feel like herself again and perform” after clarifying she gave birth way before her announcement and way before her first performance this past weekend.
Flo isn’t the only celeb mom who didn’t take long to get back to their career. Artists like Cardi B, Beyoncé, Monaleo and Keke Palmer have been open after their postpartum journeys. Soon after Palmer gave birth in 2023, the actress, model, singer, author, podcast host and childhood star got candid about her personal journey.
Just two months postpartum, she told PEOPLE, “Anytime you see a celebrity doing a snap back or whatever like that, it’s part of the damn gig.” The actress went on to say as an entertainer, there’s a lot of pressure for moms to “bounce back” quickly. “The job is on the line,” Palmer continued. “If we want the checks to get signed, we got to be what we got to be.”
In the end, the most important thing is ensuring the health of the child and the mother. Palmer encouraged all the moms out there to do whatever makes them “feel good.” So if Flo is ready and willing to get back to her passion for music, then who are we stop her?