Growing a Baby Bump

Abstract

"I don't want my clothes to declare that I'm a mom; just that I'm a woman." There can be conflicting desires between dress and identity during pregnancy. The combination of physical, psychological, and emotional changes at this time can be one of the most symbolic transformations a woman could ever experience. Expecting mothers are often identified by the visual cues of their expanding bodies, yet in western culture the ideal female body is presumed to occupy minimal space. This contradiction can place women in a challenging transition as they shift their pregnant self-image. The purpose of this design installation is to reveal some of these pressures through the female experience, while also aiming to honor this important change. We sought to answer the question: how could design be used to better understand and illustrate a community of expecting mothers' experiences with their changing appearance?