When Andrea was thinking about getting pregnant the first time, she dreaded the changes her body would go through. She hated the idea of gaining weight in ways she couldn’t predict. She worried about feeling out of control. Also, she was generally concerned about fitting into what she called a “traditional” pregnancy image. She didn’t consider herself matronly. She didn’t want to look matronly. She didn’t want to be that wholesome, boring looking pregnant woman image that she often saw in the media.
Andrea was clear about all that. So, she then started to ask herself: How do I want to look? She wasn’t sure. She couldn’t get past the stereotypical images she had of pregnant women. Instead she had to back up and start with a more general question: What, physically, do I like about the idea of being pregnant?
Andrea realized that she loves trying new things and loves it when she and others stretch traditional boundaries to do something in a unique way. The physical aspect of pregnancy that she could get jazzed about was the idea that she could grow a person inside of her. She could carry another person around with her for nine months! It was fascinating to Andrea. It led her to a place of, “Look at me! Isn’t this cool?” From this mindset, she could set aside her concerns and consider how she wanted to look and dress as she was accomplishing this miraculous task.
She decided she wanted to dress in much the same way as she had prior to being pregnant. And, she didn’t want to shy away from form-fitting clothing that would accentuate her baby bump. Her awe and enthusiasm about what a woman’s body was capable of started to naturally show through. She was able to create the confident, edgy, non-matronly image she wanted to portray as she was doing something new and cool.
