Having a new baby brings so much joy into the life of expectant parents.
Preparation for the new baby is unavoidable. From painting the baby’s room to buying clothes and diapers, to even having a baby shower or gender-reveal party.
However, parents these days have added a whole twist to the whole having a new baby show.
There’s the new trend of maternity shoot where some moms go completely naked. Pregnant women baring their bumps in maternity photo shoots are the rave of the moment in Nigeria. Hardly any day goes by without social media users feeding their eyes with different shapes of bumps.
This artistic nude shoot is sort of becoming a trend nowadays. We have seen expectant parents jump on it, we have seen models jump on it. When it comes to what this generation can do, there are obviously no limits.
This new trend of artistic painting is definitely catching the eye of many expectant moms and the dads themselves are not staying back. We know we always ask women to be proud of their bodies and not let anyone body-shame them.
However, should striping in the name of a maternity shoot be one way to show-off?
In the past, pregnant women were ashamed to show off their bodies because of the unpleasant changes that take place in their bodies during this important time of their lives. Weight gain, stretch marks, skin patches and sometimes varicose veins prevent women for exposing their bodies in the past.
These days, pregnant women no longer care about who sees their baby bumps and changed bodies. They are willing, ready and happy to show their blessings to the world with creative and beautiful maternity photo shoots.
They take the time to create the kind of images they want to show the world in their mind and commit to making them a reality.
These maternity shoots come in different themes and story lines. Sometimes the husbands of these women are dragged into these shoots for an added touch. But recently, going nude for maternity photos seems to be in thing.
It is like pregnant women these days are in a race to outdo one another when it comes to maternity shoots. The reasons for taking time to have maternity shoots vary from woman to woman. They also don’t mind expending resources to engage in this rave of the moment.
To some, it serves as a beautiful reminder of the most precious time in their lives which they wish to share with friends and family alike.
Sometime ago, R&B singer BankyW came out to address the issue. Obviously, like most people, he is still grappling to understand the craze for nude and semi-nude maternity photo shoots.
Commenting on a photo of a naked pregnant woman and her equally naked husband posted by an Instagram user, he said: “Never understood why maternity shoots must be oya time to naked yaself”.
Pregnancy shoots aka baby bump photo shoots/ maternity shoot have even become as common as pre- wedding photo shoots in Nigeria!
So far the trend which being embraced by many has become an unnecessary display of nudity or a maternity must-have?
If you check Instagram pages where an expecting mother pregnancy shoot is featured, opinions varies. While few embraced this shoot majority of Nigerians are usually not in support of this new trend.
They say things like, “Pregnancy is sacred and such photos are not meant to go public”, “It’s disrespectful to the mother-in-law of the expectant mother”, “It is totally unnecessary”, “One would definitely grow old to regret these photos as it is un-African”
The visuals from nude maternity shoots have made me wonder in general what the purpose is. Why do ladies strip for the camera when they are expecting a baby?
Nuud pregnancy photos is more for the woman than the public. It is a vain project aimed at showing the world how hot she looks like even with her baby in her. And there is no crime in this.
We are all vain and we have moments when we seek for validation from outsiders (hello Instagram). Yet pregnancy is something personal and private. There are millions of everyday women who take nude photos when they are pregnant and save it for posterity sake. It is not for public consumption but for themselves.
If such photos are released to the public it begs the question “what is private and public?”
It seems odd that people who claim that the media intrudes on their privacy are comfortable to show your their private parts to the media and public.
In the end, these pregnancy photos mean nothing. It is a superficial stunt, a rite of passage for females started by Demi Moore. At the end of the day, these photos soothe the ego of the woman and do nothing for the public.
It is not really clear how and when maternity shoots crept into Nigeria. Buy what is obvious is that some women have gone overboard with this trend.
The visuals from nude maternity shoots have made me wonder in general what the purpose is. Why do ladies strip for the camera when they are expecting a baby?
Please share your thoughts on this with us in the comment section below.