Revealing photos of stars in their underwear are not unusual, but Katy Perry has raised the stakes by sharing a selfie in her pants and bra just days after giving birth.

The 35-year-old’s refreshingly honest Instagram story shows her standing in front of her bathroom mirror wearing just a beige nursing bra and a pair of comfortable grey knickers.

Despite many people erroneously believing a baby bump disappears the moment a baby is born, a mother’s raised stomach can take up to three months to return to a semblance of its pre-pregnancy state.

Stretch marks and a line of dark pigmentation called Linea Nigra are also added extras for most new mums to deal with, but rarely discussed in polite company.

In captions added to her selfie, Perry credited her hair and makeup to “exhaustion”, as well as name checking the makers of her post-pregnancy support wear.

Perry became a mother for the first time earlier this week, announcing the birth of her daughter with British actor Orlando Bloom – Daisy Dove – on social media.

In a world that’s keen to encourage women to snap back to their pre-baby figures as soon after birth as possible, Perry’s willingness to show the reality of a post-partum body is likely to earn her credit from mothers around the world.

The later part of Perry’s pregnancy took place amid the coronavirus pandemic, an experience she called an “emotional roller-coaster”.

Most women don’t get back to their pre-pregnancy weight until about six months after their baby’s birth.

Perry and Bloom, 43, said they were both “floating with love” following Daisy’s birth and set up a UNICEF donation page to raise money for new mothers and their children.

The couple are both goodwill ambassadors for the United Nations charity.

Perry shared her bathroom photo on the night of the virtual MTV Video Music Awards, adding a VMA logo and the cover of her latest album to the snap.

Despite the lack of a red carpet, her outfit wasn’t actually a world away from her 2008 VMA look, when Perry rocked a Wonder Woman style sequined bodice and skin coloured silk hot pants.

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She had been nominated in the best cinematography category for her single Harleys in Hawaii, but lost out to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande for their duet Rain On Me.

It’s been a productive time for the pop star, who also released her sixth studio album – Smile – last week.