Faking It: Why single Chinese women are posing with fake pregnancy bumps

From ‘gross outfits’ to ’lazy health’, there have been numerous trends in China this year.

The latest one to join the list is the ‘fake pregnant’ look that has swept social media in which young and single women wear fake bellies to take maternity photos.

The S_outh China Morning Post (SCMP)_ claims that the trend goes against traditional Chinese beliefs that stigmatised single pregnancies.

The rise of this trend coincides with China's dropping birth and marriage rates, which have raised alarm.

Here’s all we know about it.

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The fake bellies trend in China

With the so-called pre-set photoshoot fad, women are trying to commemorate and record important moments while they are still young.

Women’s desire to take beautiful maternity pictures while keeping their current bodies in anticipation of future body changes throughout pregnancies is the reason behind this trend’s popularity.

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A video shared online by “Meizi Gege,” a Gen Z influencer from the central Chinese province of Hunan, propelled the “premade maternity photos” trend into the national limelight.

She rejoiced when she posted pictures from a maternity photo shoot on October 13 that showed off her slim body and youthful flow.

“While I’m still slim, I wore a fake belly to take maternity photos and enjoyed a pre-made life. I even did it with my best friend!” the influencer said.

In the video, the photographer is seen fixing her accessories as someone else helps her put on the “fake belly.”

A netizen replied on the video, “I have learnt something new. I am going to buy a fake belly and take maternity photos while I am still at my slimmest!” to which the influencer replied, “How can people be so smart!”

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Despite not being married yet, another 26-year-old graduate claimed to have already shot her maternity pictures at age 23, and a third one claimed to have taken her wedding pictures at age 22, “just in case I get wrinkles by 30.”

Another netizen chipped in, “I will shoot my 70th birthday photos now and then post them on social media later,” as the fad sparked amusing and lively conversations. “It will make me look so young!”

Another wrote, “I will find some time to arrange my funeral pictures before I die. I must take more photos while I am still young, so I can use them for online dating when I am older.”

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Criticism

Pulling off the trend is simple.

The public, however, is worried that the trend reinforces “white, skinny, and young” beauty standards, which in turn causes new mothers to feel anxious about their appearance and body image.

Critics claim that the pictures frequently convey the idea that pregnant women should keep a young, slim figure—an aim that is definitely unrealistic.

Also read: Why are couples hiring ‘professional parents’ to raise their children in China?

Similar bizarre trend

Well, this isn’t the only bizarre trend in the neighbouring country.

In an effort to change the appearance of their body proportions, some young women in China are also getting temporary tattoos of artificial belly buttons.

Usually placed a few centimetres above the navel, the temporary tattoos allow the design to be transferred onto the skin by moistening the surface of the sheet with water. It creates the illusion of longer legs and a shorter torso by lifting the belly button line.

According to Business Insider, ShiYiTongYa, a 22-year-old Shanghai-based college student, revealed in a video posted on July 11 that she paid 2.8 Chinese yuan ($0.38) for a sheet of 16 temporary tattoos. She demonstrated how to put one on her navel in the video.

“It’s quite natural and I think it looks better than my real belly button,” ShiYiTongYa says, adding, “In normal situations, no one’s going to come up to me, scrutinize my belly, and figure out if my belly button’s real.”

ShiYiTongYa claimed that she spotted the trend being followed by creator LiangBuZhengYy, who has over 927,000 followers, and that she instantly placed an order.

LiangBuZhengYy’s video was uploaded on June 29 and amassed over 81,000 likes. In the video, she had said that the tattoos were just for fun and did not provoke body anxiety.

Plenty of people responded to the trend with amazement or joy, but some were critical of it and asked why we can not just accept our bodies as they are.

A netizen asked, “Can’t we like cute short legs?” while another one said that the trend looks “ugly” because it makes people’s bodies appear out of proportion.

This year’s previous trends have featured padded underwear that creates the appearance of a larger butt and gel shoulder pads that create the appearance of wider, more angular shoulders. A TikToker earlier criticised Chinese celebrities in May for promoting unrealistic beauty standards and donning these goods.

With inputs from agencies