My name is Chloé Cohen, I’m 32 years old and I live in Paris. I’ve been a journalist since 2015. In September 2018, while I was still a correspondent in New York, I created Nouveau Modèle, a podcast about responsible and engaged fashion. In this podcast, I invite women, entrepreneurs, activists, and models to talk about their efforts to improve the textile industry. We discuss all the social and environmental issues in this industry, but also and most importantly, the solutions. I believe it’s important to stay positive to encourage change.
Today, I’m airing the 4th season and have recorded around 150 episodes. In parallel, I’m trying to develop a newsletter, Une Mode Meilleure, to dive a little deeper and focus on more specific topics. I wanted it to be weekly, but it’s not always possible—doing the best we can!
Today, Nouveau Modèle is my main activity, but I also write articles on these topics for the press, such as for Marie-Claire.
Motherhood
I’m starting my 6th month of pregnancy. At first, I didn’t necessarily see myself getting married or having children. I didn’t think about it much; I was more focused on my career. I really wanted to thrive in my work, that was my number one goal. And today, I think I’ve achieved that goal.
Then, with Régis, my husband, we started talking about these things. We got married because it was important to us, it was a festive moment, beyond the symbolism. We loved the idea of being able to spend time with our friends and family and celebrate love.
Then the topic of children came up. He was ready a long time ago. I took a little longer, I was afraid it would disrupt the life I love so much. But little by little, the idea started to grow on me. One day, I told him, “I’m ready now.” I started noticing moms on the street, strollers… That’s when I realized it was the right moment. I really wanted it.
I stopped the pill a year before the wedding because I was tired of taking hormones, I wanted my body to return to a normal cycle. It didn’t happen exactly as I had anticipated. I had very irregular periods. When I went to see my gynecologist, she diagnosed me with polycystic ovary syndrome. I wasn’t expecting that because while on the pill, everything is hidden, and we have fake cycles. She told me that if I wanted to have children, it might be a bit tricky. I could have my period every five months, for example. Ovulating every five months is a bit complicated when trying to plan for a child.
I had made an appointment with her in January to start treatment, but I ended up getting pregnant in December. We were so lucky.
We weren’t stressed yet, we had just begun. We had prepared ourselves for it to take a long time, and then, I got pregnant very quickly. Naturally, we were extremely happy.
Pregnancy and my commitment to the environment
It’s very complicated. It’s a time when our body changes. Today, none of my pants, or even clothes, fit me anymore. So, I had to find alternatives to keep dressing while still maintaining my love for fashion and clothing.
My alternative is to tell myself, "If I buy something, it’s something I’ll be able to wear afterward." That’s really how I approach clothing during my pregnancy. I turn to brands that offer clothes I can still wear postpartum.
Honestly, I thought it would be much easier, that I could wear my pants with a little elastic, wear my dresses… But actually, you realize that nothing is adapted in terms of seams, shapes. You’re not comfortable, you feel completely cramped. You have to get used to this new body, so you still want to feel good in your clothes. That’s when you become aware of how important clothing is and how much it’s an armor against everything that’s happening. If you feel good in your clothes, you feel good in your skin, in your pregnancy. It’s super important. I didn’t realize all of this before. Today, I do, and I’m happy to have found alternatives.
I also see maternity clothing brands differently. Before, I saw them a bit like "gadgets." Today, I realize that they are essential, and there should actually be many more of them. There should be more engaged brands like Joli Bump, which does extraordinary work. There are also brands that offer clothes with elastic bands or stretch fabrics, for example. But maternity clothing brands that are committed, with a real ethical approach and clothes you can wear afterward, are hard to find.
You can find maternity clothes in fast fashion, but I don’t want to give up all my values for this period. It’s important, but it’s still short, after all.
Sport and maternity
In France, I think we are very behind when it comes to sports and maternity. It’s a huge topic in my opinion. My gynecologist didn’t say anything to me about sports except for the ones I shouldn’t do anymore. I actually stopped seeing her because she stressed me out and didn’t explain anything.
I’m very lucky to be able to continue doing sports, of course, by adapting my practice. I continued running until the end of my 5th month, and now I feel like it’s putting a bit too much strain on my lower back, but I do boxing, Pilates, and I’ll replace running with cycling, with the intensity adapted, of course. I’m lucky to have trainers who are trained to take pregnancy into account when doing sports.
I think we don’t talk enough about working on abs, for example, or how to check if we’re doing the exercises correctly. We have all the keys in hand, we just need it explained to us instead of being told what we can’t do. We would make informed choices. We over-medicalize things, we’re prohibited from doing many things, without ever being explained why. We are adults, if we want to take a risk, we’ll take it. It’s my body, my baby. I think there’s still a huge amount of work to be done on this topic.
My parents are doctors, and they often send me studies on this subject. And I realize how beneficial it is for both the mom and the baby! It brings so many positive benefits for the child.
I do 4 to 5 sessions a week. Before, I almost exclusively did cardio, but now I alternate with sessions to strengthen the deep abs, which will be useful for childbirth and carrying the baby. For that, I particularly recommend Julie Pujols’ classes.
I use sport to both strengthen my body deeply and to work on my breath, especially because I’d like to give birth without an epidural. But I’m not putting any pressure on myself, I’m preparing to do it without an epidural, and I’ll see on the day of childbirth how my body reacts.
Entrepreneurship and maternity
I’m really happy to have maternity leave and to be able to take this time for myself and the baby. In fact, we never take too many breaks when we’re entrepreneurs; it often takes being forced to take them. So, I see this "forced break" as something very positive.
For now, I’m organizing my days like before; I haven’t changed much. I’m lucky to be independent. Yes, I work a lot, yesterday I finished my day at 8:30 PM. But I was able to do an hour of boxing at lunchtime. I’m still juggling my schedule as I did before. So far, I haven’t adapted much, but I think that will come gradually.
Feminism within the couple
These are topics that Régis and I have often discussed for quite a while now. I’ve seen his evolution. Now, he analyzes everything differently. He has changed a lot regarding ecology and feminism. He has a much more feminist outlook now.
I’m not worried about the role he’ll take or how we’ll raise this baby. For now, I’m quite calm. I’m sure there will be adjustments to make, as in any couple or any situation. But for now, he’s finding his place.
The books I recommend
On maternity, I recommend the graphic novels "La Naissance: Découvrez vos Super Pouvoirs" by Lucile Gomez. They are amazing, fantastic. They cover topics like physiology, pathology, and how to approach childbirth... I learned so much about the role of hormones, the epidural, what it causes... all without judgment. We all make our choices consciously, but we need the knowledge to do so. And often, that knowledge is not given to us. We have all the keys within us to give birth. Yes, there are things in place to help and support us if needed, but we give birth. I’m open to being supported, but it’s me who gives birth. And every woman should be able to choose what works best for her.
On feminism, I’d recommend the graphic novels "Culottées" by Pénélope Bagieu, which focus on all these forgotten women. You learn so much, it’s beautiful. I really loved it. Or "Sur la route" by Gloria Steinem, a classic.
I’ve also discovered an eco-feminist author, Isabelle Sorente. She wrote an extraordinary book called "La femme et l’oiseau". It’s a wonderful novel that addresses womanhood, sisterhood, mother-daughter relationships, and the relationship with nature. It’s beautiful.
I’ve been very drawn to eco-feminism recently. Eco-feminism, to summarize, demonstrates that the logic of domination and oppression over women and that over nature come from the same system, our patriarchal system. Fashion illustrates this perfectly. It’s usually big bosses, men, who give orders in underdeveloped countries where women are exploited. They also oppress nature, exploit resources, and pollute without thinking twice.
The impact of my pregnancy on my work
I don’t think I’ve fully intellectualized it yet. But for example, it was during my pregnancy that I came up with the new series "Elles pensent la mode", which will soon be broadcasted on the podcast, featuring scientists and researchers to provide a broader perspective on the issues within the textile industry. My writing has probably changed as well, and my relationship with my body too. All my senses are heightened during pregnancy. I listen to myself much more. Before, I tended to always push my body to perform. Now, I have a more nurturing relationship with it, I’m gentler because I know the incredible things it’s doing.
My advice for living it calmly
Personally, it’s sport that helps me release pressure, let go, become aware of my body, and listen to it. I’ve always seen sport as something that helps you feel good mentally above all. This is even more true when you’re pregnant.
