Halsey praised for sharing stretch mark images weeks after giving birth: ‘Wear those tiger stripes proud’

Fans have heaped praise on Halsey after the singer shared photographs of stomach stretch marks gained during pregnancy with baby Ender Ridley Aydin.

The 26-year-old singer, who recently revealed the choice of they/them pronouns, also shared photos on Instagram of three-week-old Ender with his father, Alev Aydin, and his rainbow-themed nursery over the weekend.

Halsey gave birth to their son on 14 July. In a post shared on their Instagram, which featured them and Aydin holding the newborn on a hospital bed, they wrote: “Gratitude. For the most ‘rare’ and euphoric birth. Powered by love.”

Since the birth, the singer has shared sporadic updates about their new life as a parent, including celebrating National Breastfeeding Week.

One of the photos in their most recent Instagram post showed an assortment of artwork on the wall of their baby’s nursery room, featuring a a neon rainbow, Ender’s name in cursive script, and a poster of Studio Ghibli animation Ponyo, among other pieces of art.

The collection also included a photo of Ender wearing a tie-dye onesie, and another of Aydin cradling the newborn while wearing a matching tie-dye T-shirt.

Halsey also shared a photo of their living room featuring a small yellow plush toadstool, a daisy-shaped rug and other multi-coloured rugs, and an LGBTQ+ rainbow flag in a plant pot.

Another photo in the collection showed off the stretch marks from their pregnancy on their abdomen, which appeared purple. Over time, stretch marks often fade to white or silver, and some may disappear completely.

The last photo in the collection was of a green and white frog sitting on concrete. Halsey wrote in the caption with a teddy bear emoji: “Well… This is what it look like.”

Fans showered the singer with praise for showing off their postpartum body. One person wrote: “Wear those tiger stripes proud mama! Love to see it.”

Others thanked the ‘New Americana’ for posting a photo their stretch marks, with one person commenting: “I love love love that you posted ur cute little stretch marks. I’m 31 weeks pregnant and I keep getting paranoid I’ll get them and having to remind myself it doesn’t matter.”

In the days before the birth, Halsey shared photos of the cover of their upcoming album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, as well as clips from an accompanying IMAX film of the same name.

The hour-long film is written by Halsey and directed by Colin Tilley, and will star Halsey in the lead role and feature music from her album. A description of the film says: “A woman experiences the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth.”

The cover of the album shows Halsey sitting on a throne with one breast exposed and a baby sat on their lap, inspired by a psychological dichotomy known as the “Madonna-Whore complex”.

Revealing the cover last month, they wrote: “It was very important to me that the cover art conveyed the sentiment of my journey over the past few months.

“The dichotomy of the Madonna and the Whore. The idea that me as a sexual being and my body as a vessel and gift to my child are two concepts that can co-exist peacefully and powerfully.

“This cover image celebrates pregnant and postpartum bodies as something beautiful, to be admired,” she continued. “We have a long way to do with eradicating the social stigma around bodies and breastfeeding. I hope this can be a step in the right direction!”