Does anyone know why moms pose in photos with their hands like that? I just posed for pics like that too, so guilty as charged!
Can you imagine, if you had no bump and you were holding your hands that way in a picture? There is something so motherly about it but without the bump, it's just odd don't you think?
I was trying to figure out what it is that makes us do that. Do you think it's just cultural - we see others do that so we do it? Do you think it's a natural reflex to the baby moving in the belly?
Thought about it for several weeks and here are some idea
#1 - If you just pose with your hands at your side, it might look like you're not that excited about being pregnant because you're already pushing your stomach forward by the natural weight redistribution that the bump brings. Pushing your bump forward without embracing your bump sometimes looks like you're distancing yourself from your bump!
#2 - it helps to make out the shape of your belly by holding it that way.
#3 - it's universal language for 'I'm expecting' - when people see that, they know that the purpose of your photo is to document your pregnancy.
#4 - caressing your belly is a way to show intimacy for a child that you can't hold yet.
#5 - it's a way to cut up your silhouette sort of how Beyonce does this to have the nicest lines for the camera.
#6 segue here: Check these pics out:
This pic looks more like - ouch my back hurts!
Whereas this looks like:
yup, I'm definitely having a baby and happy about it!
#6 bringing me back to another possibility - it is a way to accentuate a bump that is not very visible otherwise.
#7 It's a rite of passage - the belly hold is not something you can do when you don't have a baby there, so embrace it!
Any other suggestions and what do you think? All of the above? Or do you wish people wouldn't do the belly hold?
As long as we don't have belly hold plus peace sign, I'm fine with it! How about you?
38 comments
It’s because they want people to know they are pregnant and not just fat when looking at the photo with a big stomach in it. It’s to emphasize that they didn’t just gain weight or something.
I hold my belly because it hurts. I place my hand right under my breasts near my sternum because this is where I feel ligaments stretching and muscles cramping. It’s like an Indian burn right on my sturnum. Sometimes I will press on this spot to try to make the cramping stop. I googled this subject to see if anyone else gets these pains.
Meh, people do it because other people do it. It’s on par with the “Live Love Laugh” stickers people put on their walls and duck face poses. People copy each other. I think it’s so tired.
Thanks for all the time you spent ruminating on this question that crossed my mind & your thought provoked feedback! I find all of your explanations totally understandable & legit. Now I understand our pregnant culture more! :O)
I always thought it was at least partially because pregnant ladies do not want onlookers to think they have just gained weight! You never see a pregnant woman just walking along holding her belly, it’s an intentional pose that sends a message: I’m not fat, I’m pregnant!