Should a celeb show off her baby bump?

Closer home, you can catch glimpses of Lara Dutta’s growing belly on TV channels and newspapers, while Sonika Kaliraman Mallik’s is on display on Bigg Boss 5. The only dampener in the belly show isAishwarya Rai Bachchan, who has refused to stand in the pregnancy limelight by maintaining a low profile since her impending motherhood was confirmed some months ago. 

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Twenty years have passed since the custom of celebs displaying their heavily pregnant bodies became fashionable. It all began when actor Demi Moore appeared nude on the cover of  Vanity Fair in 1991. Moore, then 28, was seven months pregnant when she

Demi Moore

posed for legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz in a photo famous as ‘ More Demi Moore’, and was quoted as saying, “ I look beautiful pregnant” — a statement meant to challenge the habitual shame associated with representations of pregnancy till then.

What no one had anticipated, however, was the passionate debate the image sparked off. Public reactions ranged from protests about the sexual objectification of women’s bodies to celebrations of the photo as a symbol of female empowerment.  Before ‘ More Demi Moore’ the pregnant body incited mixed reactions in popular culture. Because of the high premium on thinness, the pregnant belly was seen as being repulsive, a sign of the deeply embedded fears and anxiety of women about body control and their reproductive system.

Demi Moore’s pregnant pose was a defining moment, one that encouraged other celebs to follow her route. The trend Moore fuelled of pregnant celebs flaunting their fertility managed to create a powerful image of maternal beauty. In a global culture that relies on images, the naked maternal body began being publicly flaunted as “ alluring”, replacing the earlier image of pregnancy as being “ repulsive”. Pregnancy  today is aesthetically appealing, even charming.

Pregnant women are now viewed as fashion icons, a trend that has fuelled a market in chic maternity clothes. It’s a hot fashion trend to be pregnant, one that brands are capitalising on.  “ Maternity clothing is fashionable as the idea is to celebrate your new curves in style, not hide them under layers of clothing,” says Pooja Dhawan, India head of Mothercare, the UK retailer. Maternity fashion shoots and ramp shows are becoming big business now that baby- induced curves are both fashionable and sexy.

The swollen belly has become the new erogenous zone, competing with big breasts. YouTube videos, in fact, have several titillating come- hither images of the swollen pregnant belly.  Certainly, celeb culture has challenged the ‘ docile’ image of the female body. It has granted permission to middle- class women to make a public display of their pregnancies and served the purpose of shaking up conflicted and repressed attitudes towards sexuality.

A woman with her big belly on display seems to be saying: Yes, I’m having sex and am proud of it too! She looks for different ways of flaunting her pregnancy.  She may keep rubbing and holding her belly in public, gestures designed to attract attention. Big bellies also provide an excuse to wear tees with labels that scream a pregnant status such as: ‘ Eating for Two’; ‘ I’m pregnant, what’s your excuse?’; ‘ Pregnant, not fat’. Other ladies turn online, to Facebook, sticking pictures of their naked, often painted bellies at difference stages of pregnancy.

Whether you like what you see or not isn’t a matter of concern, for the message seems to be: If you don’t want to see my pregnant belly, don’t look. But I’m not gonna hide it either! The  docility, maternal altruism and selfsacrifice associated with pregnancy have been replaced by a new aggression that manifests as a flaunting of fertility. For some, a baby bump is an expression of fruitfulness; a growing belly accompanied by glowing skin signifies good health and abundance. For others, it’s proof that their relationship with their partner has reached a ‘ secure’ stage, offering proof that family values and sexual morality still prevail despite the culture of increasing uncertainty.

But shouldn’t we be wary of this public display of what is essentially a private matter? Doesn’t it perpetuate the message that fertility should be celebrated only as long as the fertile are wealthy and glamorous? The petite bumps sported good- looking celebs are like fashion accessories, cultivated through extreme body regimens. There’s no getting away from the reality that gross female pregnancy has no place in this scenario. And that only public displays of pregnancy that interest people are those made by rich, famous and beautiful. So where does that leave you and me?