Parents said my maternity photos were “erotic”

[Ttcgirl89]

I had maternity photos taken on the beach when I was pregnant. I live in Australia and am from NZ and recently my parents came to visit us and meet our baby. I was looking through photos and my dad said that the maternity photos were “erotic” and my stepmum agreed. My brother asked what we were talking about and my Dad was like “you don’t wanna look at them, they’ll make you blush”.

I sent the photos to them after I had them done months ago and I thought they were so lovely and special. They were taken at “our beach” where my husband and I swim in summer I am wearing a dress in all of the photos and my bra is covered, with the buttons down the front undone to show the belly. My husband and I don’t see anything erotic about these photos at all and I was shocked that they thought that. I feel really awkward and embarrassed now that I sent them to them if that’s what they thought about them!

Is this a weird reaction to seeing your daughter’s maternity pictures?

i know billions of woman of other woman have had babies before me but for some reason I did feel very “speshul” while I was pregnant lol 😝

I think the q is is it odd to say they are erotic

But now ofc we need to see

Most people would rather wait for pics of you looking lovingly at your actual baby.

This thread is really depressing.

Another indication that real life no longer exists for a lot of people any more.
Their entire reality is their presentation on social media.

If your dress is open at the front can you see your knickers though? Maybe that’s what they didn’t like!

People can be naked in photos and they look erotic or fully clothed and look repulsive. It’s partly with how the person seeing them views it, partly on the photographer and partly on the model.

I can’t imagine many parents want to see their child in a state of partial undress and with their underwear on show.

I think this is a tricky one. I can see why that's embarrassing but i sort of see what they might mean.

Think of it as the difference between you sitting pregnant on the beach in a plain swimsuit with no makeup on eating a sandwich and the photo you sent them - assuming you were wearing a decent amount of makeup, and had revealing clothes showing your body and were trying to look lovely. That's the difference I guess and why you might call that erotic.

I think sexualising ourselves and our bodies as girls and women is so normal nowadays that we've lost touch of what we're doing (e.g. pouting or sticking your bum out) - and how obvious it is to everyone else that it is about looking sexually attractive (even if were not consciously doing it). Think of women in older black and white photos- also taken by a photographer, as yours were.

Those who are not used to this new hypersexualisation + constant photos, like other generations, are the ones who point it out. These may look like the kinds of photo that they and other people today would only send their lover...

Does that make sense ? Hard to know without seeing the photos though!

It is awkward they said that but also good that they could and that you know now I guess?

Haha well some people have already said “please don’t inflict them on the rest of us” lol 😂

These maternity photos shoots are so tacky and contrived. I don’t know why people feel the need to have them done, let alone show them to others.

I have actually never posted them on social media. I don’t even have a social media! And wouldn’t post them on there if I did but I did send them to my parents and a few friends directly as I thought they were lovely and I was proud of what my body was doing

SHOW

we will score out of 10 for eroticism

People find weird stuff sexual
someone commented that my profile pic was “erotic and I should remove it in case someone thought I was naked”
I had bare shoulders and it was from a photo shoot, wearing a halter neck

I don't see any issue with having them taken, if that's your thing, but it might have been wise to keep them for your own viewing. Other folk probably aren't that interested.

I think the whole concept is just incredibly odd to a lot of people and they don't know what to think. I am from before social media blew up and DH took a few pics of me the week before I was due - to remember how huge I was, but we've never shown anyone. The whole thing - maternity shoots, gender reveals, showers, push presents, it's all just so tacky and odd to anyone over 40 I think.

Would never have occurred to me to photograph my massive pale ugly lump with it's line of hair, road map of veins and sticky out belly button.

No one would ever have called mine erotic.
I'm jealous OP.

You won't find loads of couples on a British beach doing pregnancy shoots OP. It's not really a thing here. I personally would've rather stuck hot needles in my eyes than send my dad a photo of my pregnant belly so I think you maybe need to choose your audience.

Not really. A wedding is a public event. Even so, too many posed wedding pics are too much at times. Oooh look yet another lovely pic of you both. 😴

I'm certain normal loving grandparents adore pictures of their grand children, but no, not ever an over-exposed bump, thank you. Keep it to yourselves, or under cover if you must share how clever you've been at getting a fat pregnant belly. 😬

This thread is hilarious! But yes maternity shoots with naked belly I don’t think are a thing here. Yet. I would find it ick and definitely for the couple not the parents!

I took so long to post that I missed lots of new posts haha! It sounds from your more recent ones that maybe what I wrote doesn't apply to your photos OP... hard to know without seeing them but maybe your dad and wife are a bit prudish.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 you’re hilarious 🤣

I have a DIL who is pregnant.

I understand that you and your partner would want them because it’s a special moment for the two of you but I have to say I fondly sharing it odd.

I would tell you they’re lovely and then me and my partner would shove them in a drawer and not look at them.

I don’t look at your belly when you’re not pregnant - not in a posed, showing off the bump, gazing at it adoringly kind of way. And I’d find it just a bit. Ick. As if I was intruding on something intimate between you and your partner.

sorry. Coz I know that’s not what yo want to hear.

Hahahahah no it’s not me 😂

The key thing is you are happy with them. They won’t be to everyone’s taste and that’s absolutely fine.

Congratulations and I expect your photos are beautiful - lovely location idea too

Parents sound a bit prudish

X

Weirdly mean responses on this thread. OP wasn't asking whether you approved of maternity photos in general.