In several facebook posts over the last year I have noticed professionally done photos sets posted by pregnant women of themselves that show them minimally dressed, sometimes with barely a scarf covering their breasts and lower portions, and sometime just their arms and hands. The emphasis of the photos is to show the pregnant belly. Their hair and makeup are immaculate in these photos and most were taken professionally. The husband, or the younger children are often shown with their faces pressed up against the mother’s belly in a sort of reverent trance.
These are middle class and upper middle class women doing this and their friends comments (females are the vast majority or respondents in these threads) are overwhelming expressing appreciation at how wonderful and beautiful it all is.
I can appreciate that photo sets like this might be taken and treasured privately, but I’m wondering if it’s now a growing trend to consider these “social” photos, akin to vacation pics.
Yeah, my sister did it. I asked her what she was going to do with the photos and she looked at me strangely and said she was going to frame them and hang them up. It’s followed close behind by a series of newborn shots wearing fuzzy hats and draped over Dad’s arm.
I had no desire to do this myself although we did take monthly (clothed) belly shots to show progression. For Christmas she gave us a photo shoot as a gift, but though #2 is on the way we’ll just do some nice family shots in which I will be pregnant, not my belly as centre of the universe.
Yeah, I’m… not into it. My thinking is, “Would you display a photo of yourself dressed like that if you weren’t pregnant? No? Then don’t do it just because you’re preggers.”
Totally fine as a private memento, but super awkward if put up for visitors to see.
Speaking as a middle/upper-class woman - Yes, yes we do.
I think almost all of my friends did this while pregnant and will continue to do so. I elected to skip the whole thing because I felt so gross throughout I KNEW the pictures would be gross, regardless of the bigness of my belly.
Maybe if I get pregnant again and it goes better I might consider it. I have no idea why, but the pics are oddly appealing to me.
Oooh, just what Junior wants…half-nekkid pictures of Mom with Daddy’s face pressed up against her belly…NOT!
I allowed only one intentional picture of my nine-month’s pregnant belly to be taken, decently swathed in yards of gaberdine, and I still hated it. But that was the early 80’s when maternity pants had nice stretchy panels and you could relax and be comfy while pregnant…now it seems everything has to be snug and spandexed and stretched. I really don’t want to see that your innie has become an outie…
My impression is that spiritual hippie artist women developed this concept in the '70s, though perhaps not so professionally rendered. At least the first several examples I saw were from then and thus.
Presumably Hollywood got it from them and the UMC women from Hollywood, a typical progression.
Be warned; in another ten years you should be getting to home birth videos.
I agree they are nice private keepsakes. Oh incidentally, a Facebook friend of mine has as her profile pic, a clothed pic of her iwth her son, her belly getting a kiss from her son.
1991. I like how they describe it as a ‘handbra nude photograph’.
It seems like a really weird thing to do to me - I can understand the desire to take some quick snapshots just for you and your partner to look back and remember the process. I can even understand showing them to your kid or other relatives on occasion. But a professional photo session, completely nude? There’s no real reason for that. And putting them up on your wall? Totally strange. I cannot imagine the world in which my mother would have put a nude photo of herself up on the living room wall. The average teenager is embarrassed enough about their parents as it is!
