How Baby

Last week, Amal Clooney, famous international human rights lawyer, appeared before the UN to urge them to take stronger action against ISIS. Unfortunately, because she had the audacity to do so while pregnant, TIME reported that she was ‘showing off her baby bump’ at the UN.

Right, right, get your groans out now, if you haven’t already. But this is a thing we do to female celebrities all the time, right? So-and-so flaunts her baby bump on Rodeo Drive, so-and-so bares her baby bump in a bikini in the Bahamas, etc etc.

When I was pregnant, one of the overwhelming feelings I had was that everyone felt entitled to a part of me, be it looking at my body longer than they should, or giving me their opinion, or asking intrusive questions, or – god forbid – touching me. I was under observation, as a pregnant body. Property of the herd. Everything I did was, therefore, a performance.

Pregnant people do other things other than be pregnant. Not everything they do is for public observation. Unless they’re literally showing off their bellies, they are not ‘flaunting’ their pregnancy – they’re just living, while pregnant.

This strip features cameos from Lisa H., Jessica M., and Kristen H.!! Thank you for being my patrons, you guys! How Baby is supported entirely by patrons – I don’t even run ads! – so if you can, please consider supporting How Baby on Patreon.