What's Behind Celebrities and Others Baring Their Pregnant Bellies?

In 1991, pregnant Demi Moore posed nude for the cover of Vanity Fair magazine. Since then other celebrities and those not as famous have also posed and exposed their naked pregnant bellies for the cameras. Why are they doing it? Is it art, or are women just not hiding their bodies anymore? For some, it's still very controversial; others see these posed bare bellies as a beautiful art form and one-of-a-kind family keepsake, as well as a sign of our changing culture.

Among the pregnant celebrities who have posed for the cameras since Demi Moore shocked the world nearly 17 years ago are singer Britney Spears, TV talk show personality Elisabeth Hasselbeck and singer Christina Aguilera.

In August 2006, Britney Spears posed nude for the cover of Harper's Bazaar. The following month her second son, Jayden James Federline, was born.

Also in 2006, actor Patrick Dempsey and his wife, Jillian, posed for the cover of Life magazine when Jillian was carrying the couple's twin boys.

In July 2007, Elisabeth Hasselbeck stood before the cameras on ABC's The View to show the TV audience her naked pregnant belly and talk publicly about her incontinence. She and her husband, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, had their second baby in November, 2007.

The latest mom-to-be to bare it all and pose nude is Christina Aguilera. Her bare pregnant belly will appear in the January 2008 issue of Marie Claire. The baby was born Jan. 11 and was the first for Aguilera and her manager husband, Jordan Bratman.

Whether it be celebrities or the moms-to-be across the nation, many of them say they want to remember what their body looked like when they were carrying their baby. Many women I've talked to say they're tired of society's squeamishness toward seeing a bare pregnant belly publicly exposed. Then there are those who value maternity photos as art, hanging their pregnant belly portraits in their homes or even posting them on the web.

In addition to photos that include the expectant father, such as that of Patrick and Jillian Dempsey, others include extended family and friends. Pregnant mom Lakisha Malcom included others in her pregnancy photo displayed on givingbirthnaturally.com.

Many women are waiting longer to have children. When they do, they generally are better able to afford having a professional photographer capture this golden time of their lives. Others say they believe older moms-to-be may have a greater appreciation for the life growing within them, a memory they want preserved indefinitely.

Whatever the reason pregnant women have photos taken of their bare bulging tummies, there's no doubt women are hiding their bodies less. That being said, expect to see more bare pregnant bellies as society's view of pregnancy continues to evolve.

Resource:

Giving Birth Naturally; givingbirthnaturally.com