It seems like it is raining babies in this country. Everyone from movie stars to some of my closest friends are about to have a baby and what I thought would be adventures in oversized T-shirt shopping has turned into some impressive maternity wear discoveries. I have to admit my pregnant friends are all looking pretty good. And I think it is because maternity wear has never been so popular. In the past women were hard pressed to find even a decent dress that didn’t look like it had been sewn from a circus tent. Now with stores like Pea in the Pod (www.apeainthepod.com/home.asp ) and celebrities pushing their own line of maternity clothes, women can find all types of fashions while they are expecting.
I can’t really figure out why it has taken so long for designers to come up with maternity clothes that actually look good. It is not like pregnancy is a new invention. Women have been having babies for quite a while now. My guess is in the past designers and clothing stores viewed maternity clothes as having only a limited number of women buying them and for a short period of time. Most women don’t start showing until their fifth or sixth month and after they give birth they slowing get back into their old wardrobe. So designers didn’t find it to be a very profitable market. But the population is steadily growing and I think celebrities have really made maternity clothes a fashionable lifestyle. The best example so far is featured in the latest InStyle Magazine (May, 2002, www.instyle.com/instyle/) with Josie Bissett, of Melrose fame, showing the latest lines in maternity wear. I had one colleague comment that when she first saw the pictures she thought they were clothes she could wear.
Another reason is that for a long time pregnancy was a taboo subject and treated like a dirty word. In movies and television during the 1950’s women could not say “pregnant” only “with child” or “I’m having a baby”. Before the women's liberation in the 60's and 70's women mainly stayed home when they were pregnant wearing maternity clothes that were baggy and ill-fitting. But when more women entered the work force and started to demand better pay and equal treatment, society was forced to realize that pregnancy (even with all of its physical drawbacks—stretch marks anyone?) was a natural and normal state of being. Celebrities have helped change attitudes about pregnancy, as well. In the days when the studios ruled the stars, an actress could be fired, put on suspension, or have their salary cut if they were to get pregnant. Now women like Elizabeth Hurely, Jada Pinkett, Uma Thurman, Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Reese Witherspoon,and Cate Blancett have made trends with different maternity styles. Top designers such as Dolce & Gabanna, Prada, Gucci, and even the Gap have finally gotten on the bandwagon and have designed beautiful maternity clothes.
