One of Blake Lively's goals as a mother is to set realistic beauty standards for two daughters.
In a new interview with Refinery29, Blake said that society, as a whole, puts too much pressure on women to look perfect all of the time. That's not a lesson she wants to teach her girls, James, 2, and Ines, 4 months.
"We have really unrealistic beauty standards and beauty norms," the actress said. "What you're seeing on red carpets and in magazines takes a lot of effort and a lot of people. People don't understand that it's all very constructed. What little girls are seeing isn't what [these celebrities] look like when they wake up in the morning — even though it's no less beautiful."
In other words, it takes a village.
Being a mother, she said, changed how she viewed beauty standards.
"There's this awareness of what they're going to be exposed to and what they grow up seeing," she said. "For me, it's important for my daughters to know that it's not real life. They're seeing me dressed up in all this hair and makeup, but they also see me without that. I want them to see both sides, because there is never just one side."
In January, Blake decried beauty standards on Instagram, as well, for a L'Oréal "Your Skin, Your Story" campaign.
"'Because I'm worth it' is an iconic belief that resonates with so many, for good reason. Now more than ever that simple phrase is a powerful reminder to us all, as woman are coming together, rising up, and standing for their value," she wrote. "We are worth it. We are different shapes and sizes. We are different colors. We are beautiful inside and out. We are kind. We are brave. We are vulnerable. We are flawed. We are perfect. We are worth it. And we each have a story to tell."