If there is one thing that everyone is talking about right now, it is the fact that Beyoncé is pregnant with twins. And in classic Beyoncé fashion, her pregnancy announcement is still receiving tremendous amounts of buzz three weeks after the initial post. With no surprise, she got a ton of likes — over 10 million to be exact, breaking the world record for most liked Instagram photo of all time. But like everything in Hollywood, Beyoncé’s photos have been critiqued, shamed, and compared to other celebrity pregnancies — although not to the same extent as other celebs.
The Pregnancy Photoshoot
Women all over the world engage in elaborate photoshoots to capture their pregnancies, many times exposing more than just their bare bellies. Expecting parents may drop a great deal of cash to get these beautiful photographs captured, and of course, celebrities have been known to fully indulge in this tradition. Just search #celebritypregnancy on Instagram and you will be flooded with over the top pictures showcasing every stage of pregnancy, in varying amounts of clothing, including photos from Pink, Natalie Portman, and of course, Beyoncé.
While Beyoncé’s photo has received its fair share of critique from chronic haters, the majority of comments on Beyoncé’s Instagram are filled with love, support, and well wishes. So what exempts her from those “slut-shaming” and nasty comments left by haters? Why are celebrities like the Kardashians shamed for posting extremely similar photos?
Society will find anything to criticize. And unlike in court where your past behaviour cannot be used against you as evidence, a little (or a lot) of risqué behaviour from 2003 will come to bite you in the ass when you are innocently showcasing the miracle of the female body on social media.
Slut vs. Saint
If our past is what determines which category we fall under, why are celebrities like Behati Prinsloo, who made a career of prancing around in her underwear for Victoria Secret, not deemed a slut when Kourtney Kardashian is, just because she is related to Kim? Both these women are gorgeous and successful, so why do we feel the need to categorize them?
Both women were photographed, while pregnant, in itsy bitsy bikinis, but one was criticized, while the other wasn’t.
Why do we still deem Kim K. a “slut”?
There is no hard or fast rule. There is no definitive line that we can draw to say “this is slutty but this isn’t.” But whenever someone mentions Kim Kardashian, my initial thoughts tend to be negative – and that’s a problem.
Although I may not agree with how Kim Kardashian initially made her name famous, she has done an incredible job in continuing a name for herself and for that I applaud her. But what do I give her a standing ovation for? Her confidence. To post a photo with nothing on except for an incredible pregnancy glow takes some serious lady balls. You go Kim K.
So why don’t we deem Beyoncé a slut?
To be frank, this photo looks awfully similar to Kim K.’s. But comparing the comments, fans do not seem to think so. The need for constantly comparing and criticizing women is harmful and it needs to be stopped. Who cares if one is bigger? Who cares if one photo is more revealing than the other?
They are pregnant. They are confident. They are beautiful.
Regardless of this reality, Beyoncé’s pregnancy photos have still been subject to the same critiques, shame and comparisons that plague the celebrity lifestyle. Clearly, even the Queen Bey herself isn’t safe from the haters.
With that being said, we are all individual, and each of our bodies are unique to ourselves. Whether you are pregnant or not, famous or not, it’s time that we stop the comparisons because it isn’t doing anyone any good. It’s like comparing an apple to an orange. Not possible.