Worst. Pregnancy. Magazine. Ever!

[Vagrant Violet]

I thought that this was a little gem worth sharing, especially since I imagine most of you aren't currently buying many pregnancy magazines!...

This weekend I picked up my monthly copy of "Nacer y Crecer" (an Argentine maternity magazine) from a local newspaper stand. At first glance, I was appalled and indignant that the vendor appeared to be handing me some kind of messed-up fetish magazine, until a second look confirmed that it was, indeed a magazine with articles such as knitting baby clothes, how to select the best stroller, and summer skin care during pregnancy...

I thought that maybe I was being a little judgmental, until I saw the accompanying photos of the featured article (with the delicate pregnant flower wearing a classy clam shell bikini top)... The photo shoot shows her with the shortest cut-off daisy dukes I've ever seen while playfully biting the top of her black midriff, and another with cheesy shot of rolling on the beach with her husband who was wearing shiny silver bathing suit shorts (WTF?) which made me cringe. They only get worse (or better, depending on your point of view)...

I am a fairly open-minded individual. I know that back in the US, we are on the polar opposite end of the spectrum, where it is taboo and sometimes even considered indent to even breastfeed in public... I also think that a healthy pregnant woman is beautiful and should not be confined to covering up and wearing muu-muus. Up until now, I thought that I was doing pretty well in terms of balancing the whole work life/persona life/brand new pregnancy experience/relationship with my husband. From what I skimmed in the article, right now Lola Ponce is about as pregnant as I am (approx. 5 months). I was feeling pretty proud of myself, I'm maintaining a very healthy weight, drinking 2.5+ liters of water a day... but suddenly I feel like a total whale/frumpy house frau... I dunno, I'm pretty sure that one of us is doing something wrong.

I am NOT even going to read this on the bus, people are going to think that I'm sick!

Oh, Argentina! View attachment 1417

 

[NYKate]

Ugh. I hate that. (I am 5 months as well and am finding it hard to find pregnancy clothes here. My friend sends them from Target.) With respect to Lola Ponce, she probably has people to take care of her tan, makeup, hair and clothes. Its her job to look good. Although, i really think that the cover is tacky and the stylist should be fired. Congrats on your pregnancy!!
(btw how are you feeling after the hospital?)

 

[Vagrant Violet]

Hey, NYKate!

I've got no doubt that someone like Lola Ponce has a team to make her look as esthetic as possible, but REALLY- They left her looking too skanky and cheap for a "Penthouse" magazine.

I know that some celebrities in the US have done nude pregnancy shoots (Demi Moore, Britney Spears, etc.). Those seemed pretty tasteful. But then again, maybe it's a cultural thing... Maybe wearing a pair of skimpy white panties and giant plastic clam shells over your pregnant body is the Porteño way of non-verbally expressing, "I am a nurturing and respectable mother... And you clearly love me for my kind and caring personality".

Feeling better after the hospital fiasco, thanks... Counting the days before I jet off to my hometown of Cincinnati for 3 weeks to see my family and friends and show them some fascinating goodies that I've brought back with me from the Big City!

PS- If you'd like to, by all means, PM me! It'd be cool to hang out, especially because I don't have friends in BA in this particular situation. When are you due? My bambino is supposedly making his debut on April 17th!

 

[mulderfox]

well her husband is a lucky man. that`s all i`m gonna say

 

[Montauk_Project]

The other day I saw a 5 months pregnant woman working as one of the back up dancers on a Tinelli-esque show (ie, in a thong and top hat). My Argentine husband thought it was great that she wasn´t fired or discriminated against.
In general, just because you are a mom or pregnant doesn´t mean you can´t be smoking hot in Argentina. Whenever I go to the beach I always compare myself to the 40 year old moms (of three kids, always) wearing bikinis with abs of steel. They look better than I do, and I´ve never had a kid.
Also, Lola works with her body, so she has to show her clients that her body will not get fat even though she is having a kid.

 

[syngirl]

Hmm well I think this is obviously a culture clash, or perhaps not even a culture clash but a personal clash -- your personal idea of motherhood coming up against motherhood as expressed in another culture.

For you maybe motherhood/pregnancy means one should act more demure and certainly not sexy. In Argentina many women (and men!) certainly don't understand why in this moment of one's life you should change everything you are and become a Mother with a big old capital M. Here if anything it's considered important to maintain one's identity as a woman rather than bury it completely under Mother.

You will certainly find more conservative approaches as well, there definitely are those in Argentina who believe Motherhood is sacred and above everything else. But in mainstream media, and in maternity wear shops here, there's no feeling that there should be separation of the woman as Sexy and the woman as Mother. A lot of people really believe that you can be both pregnant and sexy, or a mother and sexy.

Lola Ponce looks fantastic on that magazine cover if you ask me. She's gorgeous anyways, why wouldn't she wear a shell bikini while pregnant?


People on the bus aren't going to think you are sick -- they are from here remember, not home. And by the way, who cares what people on the bus think, you're never going to see them again anyway!)

 

[Farenheit]

It's definitely a huge cultural difference. I was surprised that guys would still whistle at me in the street till I was about 7 months pregnant and I was pretty big by then. That would never ever happen in UK!

 

[AngelinBA]

I heartily dislike the cover of that magazine, I think it is very tacky! There are a lot better ways of showing that a pregnant woman is still sexy than clamshell bikini!
In my first pregnancy, I danced salsa up until the day before the birth, the only problem I had was with less experienced partners who were scared they'd hit my belly by accident and were always overly careful because of this.
During the same pregnancy, I was stopped on the street by a lady who ranted at me about how disgusting it was that pregnant women wander around showing their tummy. I'm guessing my teeshirt must have rode up showing a bit of tummy, because I definitely didn't dress that way on purpose.
So culturally, I think there's a bit of everything here.
I used to hate the pregnancy magazines for a wholly different reason, most of them were filled with more ways of making you feel guilty / fat / ugly just like any Cosmopolitan magazine would.