Showcasing a baby bump...

[FunTimes2020]

...to use the words of the press. AIBU to think that no-one wants to see the naked abdomen with protruding belly button of a heavily pregnant z lister? Helen Flanagan is the latest

Part of HF appeal is her airhead/knitwit persona (although she was like that permanently on the reality shows she's been on), no one is looking for advice on RL stuff from her.

Why are women always "showcasing" or "flaunting" things?

Why do we always have to be picked apart for everything?

but I do wonder why the woman always has to be half naked in them.

Well mine weren't featured in a magazine (though they are on the photographer's website) and it was largely because it's about the bump, so it got bared a lot.

There's also a focus on pregnancy being "natural", so we did end up doing a lot of implied and semi nude, just to emphasise that. I also had natural style makeup, my hair loose and a few props like leaves and flowers; overall "as nature intended" kind of aesthetic, which does seem to be popular for this kind of thing.

Personally I think it was tasteful but obviously I'm not going to share the link.

Her body her business

You're being a bit obtuse Helen DrSbaitso . I think I made some fair comments.

It's great that women can be proud of their pregnant bodies. Just as far back as my mum's generation, all pregnant women were wearing horrible tent dresses with frilly collars to detract from their "size".

It's just utter boring to see naked bumps now. It's done to promote themselves and their brand usually... yawn.

@DrSbaitso

Oh phew. I thought we were just going to have the bog standard "attention seeking" moralising over this one, but we also have "capitalising on her bump" and "contributing to toxic culture" because she's bringing some makeup with her. I was worried I wouldn't learn any new ways for women to fail at goodness and I do like to keep up.

Yes, the makeup bag is definitely how women are being judged here.

this all day long.

I don't think it's boring, so just goes to show we are all different.

And, shockingly, I don't necessarily think it's that outrageous or bad that some of them use it to promote themselves or their brand as this is how some influencers/celebrities make a large amount of money. Good for them - if I could make some of what they do by posting photos on social media then I probably would too.

@SmileyClare

You're being a bit obtuse Helen DrSbaitso . I think I made some fair comments.

It's great that women can be proud of their pregnant bodies. Just as far back as my mum's generation, all pregnant women were wearing horrible tent dresses with frilly collars to detract from their "size".

It's just utter boring to see naked bumps now. It's done to promote themselves and their brand usually... yawn.

Apologies, I wasn't trying to be obtuse. I was trying to be extremely clear about why pregnancy shoots often have a "natural" aesthetic, why it's not a moral collapse to show your bump or take makeup to hospital, and why pulling women apart for this is much, much, much more overdone than sleb pregnancy shoots.

SmileyClare but these are celebrities. Promotion is their modus operandi; it’s how they make a living.

I think what the poster is wondering is why male celebrities don’t get called out for promoting themselves. And why a pregnancy bump is thought to be something dirty which needs to be hidden under a tent until she has shed the baby weight.

pulling women apart for every single thing they ever do is far more toxic than posting pictures of yourself to your own social media or choosing to put bronzer on to your own face tbh.

@MadameButterface

pulling women apart for every single thing they ever do is far more toxic than posting pictures of yourself to your own social media or choosing to put bronzer on to your own face tbh.

Yes, because that’s what I criticised.... her choosing to put bronzer on her own face I think I’ve explained clearly that it is totally up to women if they want to include make up in their hospital bag, and also totally up to HF or other celebs if they want to promote make up. But a hospital bag list of all make up and nothing else is perhaps not the most useful suggestion. I have also said I take it back after looking up HF’s original hospital bag post which recommends many more products, and pointed out it is the way these newspapers/magazines chose to cover it that was the problem (presumably they take a cut of the advertising for the products mentioned).

@DrSbaitso

but I do wonder why the woman always has to be half naked in them.

Well mine weren't featured in a magazine (though they are on the photographer's website) and it was largely because it's about the bump, so it got bared a lot.

There's also a focus on pregnancy being "natural", so we did end up doing a lot of implied and semi nude, just to emphasise that. I also had natural style makeup, my hair loose and a few props like leaves and flowers; overall "as nature intended" kind of aesthetic, which does seem to be popular for this kind of thing.

Personally I think it was tasteful but obviously I'm not going to share the link.

Of course! I'm sure they were lovely memories and your natural aesthetic comment does indeed make sense in the context of pregnancy.

I meant more of a concern tbh - especially celebs....I wonder if they are 'pressured' or expected to lose clothes for these magazine shoots. Make sense?

It's a massive leap to go from rolling your eyes at yet another pregnant bump celeb photo shoot to "pulling apart women" and calling a baby bump "dirty to be hidden."

This wasn't a thing years ago thankfully, Now there is an overload of rubbish and crap thrown out, on modern day media stuff, and sheep brained people make money this way.

I meant more of a concern tbh - especially celebs....I wonder if they are 'pressured' or expected to lose clothes for these magazine shoots. Make sense?

I believe this person put her pictures on her own social media, but I haven't followed up the story so I'm not sure.

In the context of pregnancy shoots for women's magazines...much as I'm not really a fan of these mags, I think there's unlikely to be pressure to strip off if one doesn't want to.

@SmileyClare

It's a massive leap to go from rolling your eyes at yet another pregnant bump celeb photo shoot to "pulling apart women" and calling a baby bump "dirty to be hidden."

And yet that is what people have been doing. Go back and read the posts. The focus isn't on the fact that her photos aren't very original.

LittleRa you’re missing the point: the hospital bag is a total red herring. No one goes to Instagram or Closer for advice about what to pack in a hospital bag anyway.

The OP commented that this woman was “showcasing” her pregnancy bump. Because she posted a picture of it on SM.

It’s part of a pattern of women being criticised and judged because of the way they present themselves on social media.

@thepeopleversuswork

LittleRa you’re missing the point: the hospital bag is a total red herring. No one goes to Instagram or Closer for advice about what to pack in a hospital bag anyway.

The OP commented that this woman was “showcasing” her pregnancy bump. Because she posted a picture of it on SM.

It’s part of a pattern of women being criticised and judged because of the way they present themselves on social media.

To be honest, for me, it is the whole look at me celebrity culture, I think it's awful but perhaps it's my age. It's certainly not just women though!

@thepeopleversuswork

LittleRa you’re missing the point: the hospital bag is a total red herring. No one goes to Instagram or Closer for advice about what to pack in a hospital bag anyway.

The OP commented that this woman was “showcasing” her pregnancy bump. Because she posted a picture of it on SM.

It’s part of a pattern of women being criticised and judged because of the way they present themselves on social media.

I did say when I mentioned the hospital bag in my first post that it was aside from the main post about baby bumps- I don’t really follow HF and had just seen the hospital bag article earlier and then this post about her also.

I also think it’s very “mumsnet” and naive for you and other posters to say that no one goes to celeb mags or Instagram for pregnancy/birth/hospital bag advice, because I bet there are a lot of pregnant women, particularly younger ones, who do.

I agree really funtimes I don't like the whole celeb culture online, plastering photos of every nook and cranny of your body, your life, your children up for public view, whilst using product placement to flog your sponsored brands. But then I'm quite old too and don't have Instagram or Facebook!

I very much doubt the motivation is to celebrate the female form. Unfortunately, if you question it, you're "judgemental" and tearing women down.

I expect the poster DrSbaitso who had some arty pregnancy shots commissioned was probably doing that for entirely different reasons. I'm not against women celebrating their bodies at all.

Helen Flanagan is pregnant with her third baby. I'm sure she's well aware of what she needs in her hospital bag!

TBH I was quite bored in hospital after DS2 was born as he slept all day and I was just waiting to go home. I could have spent that time putting make up on had I have taken any with me!

I expect the posterDrSbaitsowho had some arty pregnancy shots commissioned was probably doing that for entirely different reasons. I'm not against women celebrating their bodies at all.

Well, I wanted to capture the moment and, yes, celebrate it. The photographer was particularly pleased with how the shots came out and she asked me if she could use them on her website and business social media. I didn't mind, so I said yes. She was great and I was happy to promote her.

I'm not famous but if I were, or had a strong social media following, would that have made a difference?

Erm, you've got me there DrS but I suppose it depends what you're promoting. Your photos were advertising a photographer rather than some sort of vehicle for self promotion and flogging of your "lifestyle" and sponsored products. You weren't using that exposure for internet fame or to document your life for money (I presume).

@SmileyClare

I agree really funtimes I don't like the whole celeb culture online, plastering photos of every nook and cranny of your body, your life, your children up for public view, whilst using product placement to flog your sponsored brands. But then I'm quite old too and don't have Instagram or Facebook!

I very much doubt the motivation is to celebrate the female form. Unfortunately, if you question it, you're "judgemental" and tearing women down.

I expect the poster DrSbaitso who had some arty pregnancy shots commissioned was probably doing that for entirely different reasons. I'm not against women celebrating their bodies at all.

Agreed

The only people who would find it attractive, surely, are the parents. I find the views nauseating especially when the abdomen is called a "belly". I don't buy magazines with these photos in but they still creep into newspapers and pop up on line when not expected.