Maren Morris Says It 'Shouldn't Be the Goal' for Moms to 'Erase' Evidence of Having Baby from Body

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John Shearer/ACMA2021/Getty Images Maren Morris

Maren Morris is proud of her body and what it can do, one year after giving birth to son Hayes Andrew.

Talking to reporters Sunday night inside the 2021 ACM Awards' virtual press room, "The Bones" singer — who took home the trophies for song of the year and female artist of the year — addressed how she recently spoke out about "bouncing back" and the pressure on moms to get their pre-baby figures back.

"We're always extremely pressed to erase any evidence on our body that we had a child — that we housed a child for nine, 10 months — so I just realized how unhealthy that was for me and my workout journey to be like, 'I need to get back to where I was before,' " said Morris, 31.

According to the country megastar, "That's not really the goal — that shouldn't be the goal, to just sort of erase the fact that you had a kid."

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In fact, Morris is "really proud of where [her] body is right now, even if it is several pounds heavier" than it was before she and husband Ryan Hurd welcomed baby Hayes, their first child together, last March.

"It's like, 'I did something that half the population can't do.' So I think that's pretty f---ing rad," she said. "That's kind of how I came to that epiphany and was like, 'I'm gonna share this.' "

Earlier this month, the GIRL artist posted a set of photos of herself — the first of her relaxing in a nude-colored underwear set in bed and the second of her working out in a different gray ensemble — and wrote that she is "never saying 'trying to get my body back' again."

"No one took it, I didn't lose it like a set of keys. The pressure we put on mothers to 'snap back' is insurmountable and deeply troublesome," Morris shared. "You are and always were a f---ing badass. and yeah, I'm proud."

John Shearer/ACMA2021/Getty Images Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd

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On Sunday, Morris told reporters she's "not a stick" and "really proud of where I am in my journey."

"I love the fact that I've got curves now and it proves that I did something really amazing and wonderful with my life," she continued. "Whether you've got a kid or not, it's like, who cares? Just enjoy working out if you want to do that."

"Enjoy eating rich, hearty foods like I did last night — I was eating short ribs before the ACM Awards," Morris said. "Do it all."

The 2021 ACM Awards aired live from Nashville on Sunday at 8 p.m. EST on CBS and Paramount+.