Pink shows off her belly in her own gorgeous photo

Wow. I just fell in love with Pink.

Tired of having unflattering photographs (like this) taken of her during pregnancy by the paparazzi, Pink has hit back with her own gorgeous pregnancy photo (above) that she uploaded to her Twitter feed this week saying:

"ALRIGHT... because paparazzi of today have absolutely no photograhic skill or artistry whatsoever, and their pictures are hideous...."

Gotta love the fact that 1) she screwed the tabloids out of money from photo sales and 2) she has taken control of the documentation of her pregnancy. WIN!

Claudia Schiffer bares all for German Vogue

Supermodel Claudia Schiffer is naked and pregnant for the June issue of German Vogue. Shot by Karl Lagerfeld, the photo is reminiscent of Demi Moore's 1991 Vanity Fair cover photo taken by Annie Leibowitz. Schiffer turned 40 this year and the entire issue of the magazine is dedicated to her. She's featured in a number of 'controversial' shots in the centre spread as a pregnant nun and a dominatrix. She says:

"I’m a lot more self-confident than I used to be. To some extent I owe that to my children and my husband. I know what I’m doing and what I want. I have control over myself and that feels good.

"I’ve never hidden the fact that I used to be shy, even when I was 30. However, I might have been self-conscious on the inside, but I was never inhibited about my body. I never had a problem with stripping in front of the camera. Maybe that’s because of how I grew up. Back home we never used to knock at the bathroom door. No, I’ve never been prudish."

Schiffer gave birth last month to her third child, Cosima.

Danger: Exploding thighs!

Heidi Klum opens up to Page Six about her pregnant body, saying the last month is the worst:

"The last month is unbelievable, how rapidly your stomach goes. It's huge. The thighs, the butt -- everything explodes in the end."

"It's bizarre. Just as it's a miracle that you can grow a human being in your belly, it's a miracle that your body goes back to normal again," she says. "I don't think you ever get back to exactly the way you were, but you do get close. And I'm happy with that. Especially when you see your kid for the first time."

And of course, Heidi isn't worried about regaining her pre-baby body.

The (Pregnant) Body Issue

To raise awareness for National Body Image Week, stars of all sizes celebrate their beautiful bodies by posing in their smalls for the latest issue of Who (on newsstands today), including former TV personality Toni Pearen, now 5.5 months pregnant.

"I've had all-day sickness and all-night sickness but when I get over all the difficulties it is an absolute miracle," Pearen says.

Nice to see pregnancy featured but perhaps a more realistic view would have been more progressive or would speak to the importance of body image on a deeper level. It kind of annoys me that we are supposed to feel really happy that magazines take the time to feature bodies of 'all shapes and sizes' but in reality, these are still celebrity bodies and Pearen is totally glammed up. I mean, seriously, Pearen admits she doesn't wake up in the morning feeling fantastic so it seems kind of strange to position her a la Demi Moore as though pregnancy hasn't changed the way she thinks about her body. And why does she have to be practically naked to be proud of being pregnant? How much do you want to bet she spent the last few weeks agonising over the photo shoot, ensuring her bump looked perfect? And how much photoshopping went into the final result?

ANNOYING.

Beach bump

Kendra Wilkinson sporting a beach bump

New book tell women to bond with their 'bump'

I just came across this new book, Postcards from the Bump in which the authors claim:

"Pregnant women are often advised on what to eat and how to take care of their health to nurture their developing babies. But they are rarely encouraged to get to know their unborn baby's personality. But now comes Postcards from the Bump, a guide for expectant mothers who want to bond with their babies long before they're born."

"You've got double the reason to be happy and take care of yourself because if Mommy is happy, baby is happy," Beanland says."[We suggest] going on date with your bump [baby] and kind of checking out the playground or exploring the places you're going to take your baby to once he or she gets here."

I'm sorry but this makes me insanely angry. I'm all for pregnant women having access to books that are less prescriptive (less about telling you what to do) and more about enjoying pregnancy. At the same time, however, I find it very problematic that women are encouraged or expected to think about their 'bumps' as 'babies' from the moment they conceive. As many of you would already know from having your own children, pregnancy is not always fun and games. Many women don't actually feel pregnant until they feel movement or after having an ultrasound, and even then, the idea that the thing resising in your belly will be a child one day is an extremely abstract concept and even after feeling movement, a number of women in my study told me that they still had a hard time believing that the thing moving around inside was a baby.

While I'm sure the authors of the book have nothing but good intentions, I feel like the more we focus on the hummanness of foetuses and continue to construct them as 'babies' at earlier points in pregnancy, this can lead to a slippery slope in other areas of life particularly when it comes to the rights of mothers v. the rights of foetuses (or babies, depending on what you believe). One of the reasons that abortion is so contentious, aside from the religious points of contention, has to do with the fact that as we increasingly develop more sophisticated ways in which to view foetuses with ultrasound with extremely human-like features, this has set a new precedent for understanding when foetuses are actually 'babies' or 'human'. A book like this only contributes to the fact that women should feel as though they should be bonding to their foetuses at all times and does not account for the times when pregnancy is unwanted. Besides, encouraging women to think about the baby's personality outside of the womb is also problematic considering many births do not always end in happiness. Can you imagine a woman reading this book and having a stillbirth? I think the authors give too much credit to the imprinting that takes place in the womb and not enough credit to the influences of the outside world. Babies are not 'made' in the womb, their personalities are developed through interactions with the people in the world around them.

Anyone have any thoughts? How bonded did you feel to your baby/foetus during pregnancy? Am I totally wrong?

Dress your bump in nothing at all

Because I know what you're going to be wearing in your third trimester.....the folks at San Diego's Rock 105.3 think you should proudly show everyone?

Considering most women in their third trimester have enough trouble just trying to find shoes that actually fit, I guess a bikini contest eliminates all the hassle of dressing at all.

Read more and photos: Pregnant Bikini Contest

Le baby bumps and le smoking = le modern motherhood

Who would have thought pregnancy would feature in the fashion pages of the April edition of French Vogue?

In a send-up of contemporary motherhood, editor Caroline Roitfeld chose uber-thin model Lily Donaldson to wear a pregnancy bump, smoke cigarettes and lounge around in Chanel.

Motherhood in pictures through a father's eyes

I just came across an adorable and thoughtful blog from a man who has been documenting his wife's pregnancy with photos and lovely captions. He's a professional photographer so unlike most preggo side-on snapshots from the rest of us amateurs with cut-off heads and blurry backgrounds, his snaps are gorgeous and his wife has incredibly chic outfits.

Kate Moss sporting a bulge

Poor Kate Moss. The gal puts on a little bit of weight and everyone thinks she's pregnant. This situation nicely encapsulates the research about the meanings of fat and pregnancy I've been doing for the past few years. Women can never be 'in between' as it were: they are either 'fat' or 'pregnant'. A belly is only acceptable when it is flat or pregnant; a little pudge is no good.

Of her changing shape, Kate Moss told New York Magazine:

"I am a woman now! It’s true. No, honestly, I’ve never worn a bra in my life. Ever! It’s so awful, even my friends are phoning me up and saying “Are you pregnant?” And I’m like, “No! I just put on a couple of pounds, and they went in the right place.” Isn’t that weird? And how perfect for lingerie."

Sources: http://nymag.com/fashion/09/spring/54319/index1.html
http://www.babble.com.au/2009/02/16/bun-in-the-oven/

Be a part of my book!

Hello all.

I have opportunities to offer you.

As many of you know, I am writing a book about yummy mummies, baby bumps and body image.

I am looking for a few women to follow for the book through pregnancy and post-birth. I am in need of:


1) self-described 'yummy mummies'
2) a pregnant women in rural Australia
3) someone who is planning (or has done) a pregnancy spa retreat
4) someone who has done or is planning to go on a babymoon

For more details, email me: babybumpproject[at]yahoo.com.au

Yay!

Jenna Jameson: baby bump

Oh yeah. Remember I mentioned that porn queen Jenna Jameson is pregnant? In the spirit of Minnie Driver and the informal baby/preggo photo, Jameson has posted her preggo belly on her MySpace page.

Source: www.myspace.com/jennajameson

Rebecca Romijn: caught on film

Finally! Rebecca Romijn, 5 months pregnant with twins, out in LA yesterday. Right. Anyway. She hardly looks 'huge'.

Source: http://www.celebrity-gossip.net/celebrity_gallery/image_full/99211/

Garner is growing

Word on the street is that Jennifer Garner is due as early as October. By the size of her belly, I would say probably not until at least the end of the year. Any speculations?

Source: http://tinyurl.com/4w576b

Minnie Driver: pregnant bikini poll

Remember those pregnant bikini photos of Minnie Driver I posted the other day? As I was perusing the interwebs, I came across a poll at Popeater asking whether people 'approved' of Driver wearing a bikini.

This is what they found:

What's your take on bikinis while pregnant?

Why would you?	60%
Why not?	40%

Total Votes: 134,952

How soon do you think Minnie will have the baby?

2-4 weeks	41%
4-6 weeks	27%
Within 2 weeks	22%
6+ weeks	10%

Total Votes: 112,900

I'm amazed. Well, I guess I'm not amazed but more surprised. For all intents and purposes, Driver looks pretty 'slender' in the sense that she has no excess 'fat' anywhere on her body. Her arms and legs are very slim. She only has a large belly obviously because she's heavily pregnant. 60% of voters thought she looked unattractive. Yet, everyone seems to love it when preggo celebs pose naked on magazine covers. Weird.

Source: http://www.popeater.com/movies/article/minnie-driver-may-possibly-be-pregnant/148187

Camila Alves: post-baby body

In the true spirit of Hollywood, Camila Alves (Matt McConaughey's girlfriend) is looking positively slender only 17 days since the birth of their first child.

Check a gallery of celeb more baby bumps due in the US 'summer':

http://www.usmagazine.com/summer-bumps

Source: http://www.ahlanlive.com/4974-camilas-post-baby-figure?imgN=0

Baby bump round-up

Oh Minnie, gotta love her. Last week the poor gal was dubbed 'pasty' with a 'massive' bump in a white bikini a la Mylene Klass. This week she is praised for wearing a "thigh-skimming, off the shoulder number" as she "sashayed" down the red carpet. As the birth is imminent, the media want to know things (well, 2 things only): who is her baby daddy? and how is she going to lose the weight. Minnie is still mum on dad but she did have this to say about weight loss:

'I don't know what this celebrity obsession of getting your pre-baby body back in the shortest time possible is all about. It's the most unhealthy thing and it's horrifying that you should somehow get back into a size two a couple of weeks after giving birth. So plan on seeing me podgy and fat, knocking around in Malibu and proud of it."

Did I mention I love her?

In other 'news', Ashley Simpson now has a 'baby bump'. You heard it here first. Oh and Angelina Jolie has checked in hospital to 'prepare' for birth a few days before her due date. Sounds suss to me. I think she has scheduled a caesar. Anyone else agree? Who wants to hang out in a hospital just for fun?

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1030810/Minnie-Drivers-baby-bump-steals-spotlight-red-carpet-premiere.html
http://www.osoblog.tv/2008/07/ashlee_simpson_yes_she_has_a_b.html

Ange and her bump

Headline: Fit to burst: Angelina Jolie takes her huge baby bump for a helicopter ride

I don't know about you, but I hardly think that Ange looks 'fit to burst'. Um..she's a pregnant woman, not the Michelin man.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=563945&in_page_id=1773

Nicole Kidman and her invisible bump

I try not to judge..but Nicole Kidman is supposedly 6 months pregnant and the latest photo of her from last night at the Country Music Awards is a bit of a worry...perhaps it's a phantom pregnancy? She has no bump!

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=559755&in_page_id=1773













Source: http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/celebrity/251623/nicole-kidman-s-mini-baby-bump.html

Jamie Lynn looking preggo

Finally, a nice shot of Jamie Lynn's bump from PopSugar...as her t-shirt says...'The Rumours Are True'!

Source: http://popsugar.com/1514540