Natural: Lisa Mumford says she felt 'comfortable, not exposed' when she posedWhen Demi Moore posed naked and heavily pregnant on the cover of Vanity Fair in 1991, the pictures provoked fierce debate, shocking some but delighting many.
Now, nearly 20 years on, it seems Annie Leibovitz’s iconic photographs have changed the acceptable face of motherhood.
Expectant mothers all over Britain are following in the footsteps of Moore and having their own ‘baby-bump’ pictures to proudly display in their homes.
Mothers-to-be have also been inspired by celebrities such as singers Myleene Klass and Christina Aguilera, along with actress Monica Bellucci, who have all posed with their baby bumps.
Moore said her famous photoshoot gave women ‘a little bit more permission to feel sexy and attractive when you’re pregnant’. And young mothers obviously agree.
Take Lisa Mumford, 25, from Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. She said: ‘I felt very comfortable, not exposed at all when I posed.
I just wanted a picture of me at the last hurdle, so I went two weeks before I was due.
Hazel Martin had her pictures taken as a surprise Christmas present for her husband LeeIt just felt like a natural thing to do.’ The picture hangs in her living room and she plans to surround it with images of her son Charlie at different stages of his life.
‘I am so proud of it,’ she said. ‘And everyone says I look amazing. Everyone commented on how glowing I was and I think that comes through in the picture.
'I couldn’t wait to have it done. It’s just such a natural image, a mother holding her baby bump. Every time I look at it, I smile.’
Such pictures don’t come cheap – it costs parents in Britain an average of £1,000 to include a baby in the family album before it is even born.
Amanda Pye: 'I knew this was going to be my last baby and I really wanted to capture myself pregnant'But Amanda Pye, 28, from Blackburn, Lancashire, believes it is money well spent. She has four children and was inspired to have the images done because her fourth pregnancy was very different from the earlier ones.
She said: ‘I didn’t allow any pictures during my other pregnancies. I just felt so fat and horrible and had no confidence.
‘But this time, I exercised right through and only put on a small amount of weight. I wanted to show off my pregnancy body, not shy away from it. I was about 30 weeks gone when the shoot took place.
‘I had some pictures taken with my family and my husband Steve but I was determined to have one with my clothes off as well, to really show off the bump
Charlotte Graham from Doncaster was amongst the pregnant women who posed‘I knew this was going to be my last baby and I really wanted to capture myself pregnant.
The original: Demi Moore in 1991‘I regret not doing it with the others. I’ve hung it in my bedroom but I’ve also put some on Facebook and everyone has been so lovely, saying how brave I was and how amazing I looked.’
Hazel Martin, 35, from Derby, had her pictures taken as a surprise Christmas present for her husband Lee. The couple had tried for five years to have a baby and she said:
‘After trying for so long, I was just so thrilled to be pregnant and I felt so fantastic throughout I didn’t want it to end. I wanted a memento to reflect that and just how wonderful it was.
‘I had a whole load of outfits with me but did the naked shot as well. When it came to choosing them, I knew it was the naked image I wanted. Every time I look at it I’m just like, “Oh my God, look at me, I’m pregnant’’ and Lee loves it.
‘My baby Rowan is one now and when he is old enough I will definitely point it out to him and tell him that he was inside the bump.’
Mark Wilson, managing director of nationwide portrait photography business Venture Photography, said:
‘This craze started ten years ago but has taken off over the past five – so much so that we have introduced it into our portfolio as a separate category. It now accounts for ten per cent of our sessions.’
source: dailymail