Tia Mowry covers Romper Magazine’s holiday issue. The lead in for the interview is all about how much Tia loves Christmas and how happy she was to be walking around in heavy Christmas attire in Los Angeles in August for the photoshoot. She does looks great in these shots, but I was in LA in August and it was flipping miserable. Being outside in that outfit would have ruined Christmas for me, even if it was still four months away. Despite it being the holiday issue, it’s still Romper Magazine so the interview is mainly about Tia’s world postpartum. Tia and husband Cory Hardict are parents to Cree, eight, and Cairo, one and a half. Tia is always honest about her body issues and this interview is no exception. This time she gets real about her breasts after feeding Cairo for 13 months.

On “bouncing back” after having a baby: I was on a show called The Game (after Cree was born), and I was constantly in lingerie on that show, so I felt pressured… This time around I said, ‘You know what? This is me, and this is where I am now, and if someone wants to hire me, then this is what they’re going to get.’

On breastfeeding: First of all, I am not afraid to say this, but I literally have to pick up my boobs to see my waist… Literally haul them up and be like, ‘Oh, there it is.’

On how she stays so calm as a parent: I make it a point to make sure that my environment is a calming environment… We meditate and we think about the colors in our house with regards to the vibe. We believe in feng shui when it comes to design.

On having guilt as a mom of two: There was this one time in particular when I was giving Cairo kisses and he goes, ‘Mommy, you give Cairo more kisses than me.’ And that hurt me… I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what have I done?’ … I felt so much guilt.

On diagnosing herself with PPD: When I knew that I had postpartum [depression]… I didn’t want to admit it. It was that shame. I told my sister about it. I told my husband about it, and I told my friends about it. They became my support system. So when I was sad or going through my emotions, I would talk about it. I didn’t suppress them. I think that helped. Just being on set and it not being about your boobs and a baby, it was about you again.

On her decision not to spank her kids: I don’t spank my kids, and in the African American community that’s like, ‘What? Who are you? You’re not black if you don’t spank your kids.’

[From Romper]

These are the buzz quotes from the article, but it gets deeper. One thing I like about Tia’s interviews is that she is unflinchingly honest, yet she conveys that all her choices are just about her, there’s no judgement. I don’t share many of Tia’s parenting philosophies, like attachment parenting, but that’s just my choice, I don’t care if she does it. And I feel like she’s saying the same thing: how I raise my kid is up to me. Tia shared that she and Cory decided they needed a second child when their home started becoming a shrine to Cree so I could see how his comment about her giving the baby more kisses would hit her in the chest.

As far as Tia’s comment about lifting her breasts to see her waist, yeah. Outside of the shower, I am almost never without some form of bra on because I just hate how my breasts look now. But, you know, that’s life. I don’t feel bad about it, I just find a way to accept it. For me, it’s a strong underwire giving me cleavage up to my chin, but one of my best friends hangs freely under her blouses and loves how it feels. And honestly, she looks great. She’s always wearing backless shirts, which I love. Like I’m really leaning into Tia’s you do you vibe. Tia said she’s just started working out again and taking care of herself mentally as well. I appreciate that Tia is doing things on her terms this time around.

Photo Credit: Amy Harrity/Romper