Jessica Alba Covers Allure, Talks Sexuality and Embracing Her Body
Expectant mother-slash-movie star Jessica Alba looks demurely over her shoulder on Allure’s August cover. In the accompanying profile, she cuts to the chase about growing into her sexuality and turning 30.
Famous for her toned, curvy body, Alba is sanguine about the inevitable changes that come with pregnancy. With her second baby due this summer, the actress has realistic expectations for how she’ll bounce back. “I can’t ever get down to the weight I was before I had Honor [her first child],” she tells Allure.
“My body’s just different. The jeans just sort of zip up differently, and things hang differently. It’s a miracle what happens, but you definitely are different afterward. Unless you’re Gisele.”
Becoming a mother, though, gave Alba a new appreciation and openness about her womanly physique. “It wasn’t something I embraced until I had my daughter. I saw how incredible and amazing it is to be a woman and to be able to create a life. There’s a reason why certain areas of the body are desirable—because it all leads to reproduction.”
It wasn’t always so easy, though. As she made a splash (and showed plenty of skin) in her early film roles, she was far less comfortable in her personal life. Though she got plenty of attention for her Into the Blue bikini scenes, for instance, her strict family would not allow her to show her stomach at the beach.
“I didn’t necessarily see [my sexuality] as a positive thing,” she says. “I was afraid of it. So that is why I only really ever explored it when I was working.”
While she looks forward to more complex roles, those notorious curves won’t be hidden for good. In Spy Kids 4, hitting theaters in August, she wears a tight black bodysuit to battle the baddies.
Having turned 30 on April 28, Alba says she’s happy about the decade ahead. “According to some people, I peaked in my early 20s,” she claims. “I was like, ‘Oh, really? I feel like I’m getting better.’”
For more, check out a behind-the-scenes video of Alba’s cover shoot on Allure.com.
