Despite the happy news that a new member of the British Royal family was born earlier this week, living in the generation of social media has meant that it's not just the well wishers that can share their opinions with the rest of the world. Although this is Kate's 3rd baby, this time, the image of her debuting the baby Prince to the waiting media has caused major controversy on the 'Twittersphere'. Many mums have commented on the fact that most people do not look that good a mere 6 hours after giving birth, leading to unfair exceptions on new mums.
This got us thinking; with the world seemingly becoming more and more image obsessed (we blame the Kardashians!) is it now acceptable to expect new mums to look perfect after giving birth? Obviously our opinion is no; having carried a human being for 9 months, then having to endure labour, they deserve a medal, not criticism. So we were pretty surprised when we looked into this a little further, when we discovered that pre-birth beauty treatments have risen 56% in the past 5 years. Yes, expectant mums are wanting their hair, nails and even a bikini wax in preparation for their impending 'just given birth' pictures. Is it madness, or has the pressure of social media finally made perfection normal?
Obviously, for Kate, this probably wasn't a choice. Her husband is the future King, and there are certain responsibilities that come with that. Her hairdresser and stylist were seen entering the Lindo Wing 2 hours before we saw the happy family, but we all know that underneath her Diana inspired dress, were magic pants, sanitary towels and a hell of a lot of painkillers. Who would choose that?
Well apparently a lot of woman! The most popular treatment before birth is a fake tan. I mean who doesn't look better with a healthy glow...Second is the leg/bikini wax, followed by a pedicure. We're all about women's choice and feeling your best, but if the reason is purely to look good on your new baby pics for social media, have we lost the plot? Will the millennial generation be using filters, and live streaming their birth on Instagram stories?! We don't know - but we do know that it's a stressful and personal time. The people shaming Kate for giving "false expectations" shouldn't be so hard. She's new mum of three, she will no doubt be shattered and just wanting to get back home (albeit to a palace). And if you want to be pampered before your birth, HELL YEAH, but do it for yourself, not others.
