Taking it all off on camera

Log in to Facebook or Instagram and you will see photos of women in various stages of undress, proudly showing off their baby bump. PHOTO | NATION

What you need to know:

  • Some say it is to immortalise their pregnancy memories, others say it is a way of embracing their changed bodies while others think that it is artistic.
  • Shouldn’t pregnancy be a private affair? Why do you feel the need to announce it to the world? Why do it in the nude? I think we are getting too Westernised. I have met couples on the different sides of it, where the woman wants to but the partner is reluctant.
  • The first time I saw someone share such a picture on social media I wondered who the person in the picture was doing it for. If you were being paid to do take your clothes off and get a picture taken, then that would make some sense. Otherwise it doesn’t.

Nude pregnancy photography first became a thing when actress Demi Moore appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair in 1991 in a ground-breaking nude photograph of her at seven months of pregnancy.

Since then, a number of foreign celebrities have had their own pregnancy photos documented in various stages of undress… and now it’s catching up with Kenyan women. Log in to Facebook or Instagram and you will see photos of women in various stages of undress, proudly showing off their baby bump.

Some say it is to immortalise their pregnancy memories, others say it is a way of embracing their changed bodies while others think that it is artistic. What, though, do the people on the other side of it – the people who get to see these pictures – think about them? We polled a few.

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Susan Anyango, 26, videographer

I have seen nude baby bump photos. I have even taken them for clients. I remember the very first nude pregnancy shoot that I did. I was very uncomfortable all through. It’s not a very pretty sight to watch, especially when it is a couple.

I do the shoots when requested but I do not get it: Shouldn’t pregnancy be a private affair? Why do you feel the need to announce it to the world? Why do it in the nude? I think we are getting too Westernised. I have met couples on the different sides of it, where the woman wants to but the partner is reluctant.

Would I have a nude photo shoot when pregnant? No. Not in a million years.

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Sinpare,in his 30s, works at a microfinance institution

I think we are losing it. Totally losing it. We need to go back to the right path. We need to drop all these habits that we have picked up and go back to the traditional way of doing things.

The first time I saw someone share such a picture on social media I wondered who the person in the picture was doing it for. If you were being paid to do take your clothes off and get a picture taken, then that would make some sense. Otherwise it doesn’t.

If someone tried taking photos of my naked pregnant wife, that would be a police case.

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Tabitha, 28, photographer at Tunasa Media

I do not see any problem with naked pregnancy shoots. It is a fast growing trend. People are getting this idea from the internet. I have taken a few such photographs for clients and as long as the client is comfortable with the shoot, I have no problem.

It is about feeling good about yourself and your body as a mother-to-be. I think I would do it myself were I pregnant. I wouldn’t share the photos with anyone though. I would take them for myself and my husband.

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Caxton Hlestakov, 37, businessman

Taking nude pregnancy photos and sharing them shows a (lack of) sophistication. Those who do it think they are forward-thinking but I think it is primitive. I think it is breaking the laws of nature. We were born at a time when sex was only for procreation and pregnancy was sacred. I think that pregnancy should still be treated as such. It isn’t just a bulging stomach. It is a life being created. It should be treated with sanctity and respect. 

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Wambui, an entrepreneur in her 20’s

I think that everyone is entitled to do what they desire. It is your body and it is your baby. I get that women want to capture that very happy moment in their lives. I do not know why women are doing naked shoots, though. I think that maybe they are comfortable in their bodies. Or maybe they are just blindly following trends. It was the celebrities in the West who started the trend. It looks like the Kenyan woman has caught up.I do not think I would take part in a nude pregnancy shoot. It is not just me anymore. When I am out there, I am representing my husband and our family. Plus I do not want my child to grow up and find naked photos of me on the internet. I don’t think women think about that.

Bruno Dewaf, 45, a social worker in health and environment

I haven’t come across such photographs yet. I think that it is a very absurd trend. Do you really need to share such intimate moments with anyone? Why anyone would want to expose themselves that much, your guess is as good as mine.

I am personally against it. I wouldn’t want my wife to take such photographs much less share them with others. 

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Fred Benzo, 28, Benzo Locks Clinic

This trend is going against the African culture. It isn’t African. It is something our women are doing, not because they understand it or because they have valid reasons, but simply because they have seen others doing it and they don’t want to be left behind. We are getting all these (strange) ideas from the internet.

Would I be comfortable if my partner did it? No, absolutely not. (After some thought) If she wanted to, I would let her take them for herself but not to share with the world.

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Esther Ariga, 24, businesswoman

The first time I saw a nude pregnancy photo, I was awed by the grace in it. The lady in this photo had covered up a bit and she looked very beautiful. I have seen others that are a bit distasteful, though. To be honest, I think such photos which leave nothing to the imagination are a sign of moral decadence.

Were I pregnant today, I would do the shoot but I would cover up a little bit. I think that it is a very bold thing for a woman to do. I think it is artistic.