I loath maternity clothes.
I'm one of those women who always has trouble bending over due to a top-heavy figure, so the idea of slowly inflating a balloon in my belly is torture. Add to it that this pregnancy has sparked some big complications with my health and it becomes torture to find clothing I know will look flattering. I'm round in all the womanly places and the stick figure that swallowed a basketball that most designers go with to model the rare designs deemed maternity just make it a joke when trying to get an idea if something will give me a positive outcome.
A few nights ago I was perusing the web for something to cover the fact that I have gone from looking like a "well rounded woman" to a "small beached whale" and stumbled across a horrifying new trend in maternity fashion, something I can only describe as Lolita pregnancy gowns. Not only am I fairly sure the models are all underage (this worries me on a personal level) but the dresses are seriously fashioned after what I believe are anime school girl uniforms.
Now I'm a big fan of anime. I will even admit to having watched some films that could be called hentai back in the days when hubby and I did not have to worry about anything animated being mistaken as "kid friendly". What I am not a fan of... creepy stories that run right up to the line of things I think are or should be illegal and then use that to attract viewers because there are those online predators who will pay to watch that kind of smut.
I'm not saying all anime is evil, I am still a fan of many anime and manga series like I said before, but it should not be used as the basis for maternity fashion.
Well then what am I saying? I am saying the basis for fashion for a round bellied woman should be something comfortable and round bellied! We're growing an entire person inside our body, that is more than difficult enough when it goes smoothly. Add in more of those psychological pressures to be frighteningly slender and you are aiming for a new level of health risk via mental disorder. My exact phrasing was something less direct when I posted for input from friends, but I will share it unedited.
"Fashion companies should ban the idea of a "size zero maternity model". All women feel huge and uncomfortable at some point when they are pregnant. The idea that you still have to manage to be skinny and perfect while growing an entire living person inside your body is part of the screwed up body image issues already rampant in the female psyche!"
So this is my question to the world of women who have carried a child, do you feel like your body is being fairly represented by the models showing off the clothing you are being sold? What would you like to see if you are not happy? What do you think designers should know about your body while pregnant so they can offer something better for clothing and for modeling?
Now I'm a big fan of anime. I will even admit to having watched some films that could be called hentai back in the days when hubby and I did not have to worry about anything animated being mistaken as "kid friendly". What I am not a fan of... creepy stories that run right up to the line of things I think are or should be illegal and then use that to attract viewers because there are those online predators who will pay to watch that kind of smut.
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| Found via George Takei on Facebook. |
I'm not saying all anime is evil, I am still a fan of many anime and manga series like I said before, but it should not be used as the basis for maternity fashion.
Well then what am I saying? I am saying the basis for fashion for a round bellied woman should be something comfortable and round bellied! We're growing an entire person inside our body, that is more than difficult enough when it goes smoothly. Add in more of those psychological pressures to be frighteningly slender and you are aiming for a new level of health risk via mental disorder. My exact phrasing was something less direct when I posted for input from friends, but I will share it unedited.
"Fashion companies should ban the idea of a "size zero maternity model". All women feel huge and uncomfortable at some point when they are pregnant. The idea that you still have to manage to be skinny and perfect while growing an entire living person inside your body is part of the screwed up body image issues already rampant in the female psyche!"
So this is my question to the world of women who have carried a child, do you feel like your body is being fairly represented by the models showing off the clothing you are being sold? What would you like to see if you are not happy? What do you think designers should know about your body while pregnant so they can offer something better for clothing and for modeling?
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