Exposing baby bumps lowers perceptions of women’s humanness, study finds

Covering the pregnant belly may protect women from being seen as “less human,” according to new research published in Sex Roles.

Celebrities and everyday women have embraced displaying their “baby bumps” online and in public, framing it as an act of body positivity. But history tells a different story. Pregnancy was once closely tied to modesty, concealment, and confinement. When Rihanna showcased her pregnant belly at Paris Fashion Week in 2022, it sparked widespread admiration and inspired countless others to do the same.

But do such displays challenge cultural taboos, or do they trigger negative perceptions, similar to breastfeeding in public?

Kaitlyn M. Ligman and colleagues set out to explore this question through the lens of objectification theory. Prior research shows that when women’s sexual or reproductive bodies are highlighted, others often perceive them as less warm, competent, or moral—less human. The team hypothesized that exposing the pregnant body might undermine how women are judged, despite cultural narratives of empowerment surrounding “baby bump” displays.

Ligman and colleagues conducted three studies. In the first study, they recruited 220 young adults from a university setting and asked them to view one of two images of Rihanna during her pregnancy. In one image, she stood on a red carpet in sheer clothing that revealed her belly; in the other, she wore loose clothing that concealed it. After viewing their assigned image for a short time, participants were asked to rate Rihanna on traits linked to warmth, competence, and morality, qualities that together serve as indicators of how fully “human” someone is perceived to be.

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The second study expanded beyond celebrity culture to test whether the effect generalized to an everyday woman. Here, 258 participants saw photos of a non-famous White woman at around the same stage of pregnancy. Like in the first study, one image showed her in clothing designed to reveal her belly, while the other showed her with her belly covered. Participants again evaluated her on the same humanness traits.

In the final study, which included a larger sample of 417 participants, the researchers broadened the design by presenting the same non-famous woman in four different conditions. She was either pregnant or not pregnant, and in each case either posed in revealing clothing that displayed her body or wore clothing that covered it.

This created a more comprehensive test of whether exposure mattered differently depending on pregnancy status. In addition to prior ratings, participants were also asked to judge whether the woman would be a good mother and whether she deserved financial assistance to help provide for her child. This last addition allowed the researchers to probe whether perceptions of humanness had practical consequences for judgments about care and support.

Across all three studies, a consistent pattern emerged: women who displayed their bare pregnant bellies were rated as less warm, competent, and moral compared to when their bellies were covered. In other words, exposure reduced perceptions of humanness. This effect was observed regardless of the woman’s fame or race, applying both to Rihanna and to an unknown social media user.

In the third study, when a pregnant woman exposed her belly, participants judged her as less fit to be a mother and less deserving of financial assistance—effects explained by reduced perceptions of her humanness. Interestingly, pregnancy itself was found to be somewhat humanizing when the belly was concealed; participants rated the pregnant woman as more human than her non-pregnant counterpart when both were modestly dressed. However, this benefit disappeared when the pregnant belly was put on display.

The authors note that their measures focused on warmth, competence, and morality, traits linked more to mechanistic than animalistic forms of dehumanization. Results might differ with other measures. They also acknowledge that their samples were primarily young university students, raising questions about whether older or more diverse groups would respond differently.

Overall, this research suggests that while showing the “baby bump” may feel like a statement of empowerment, it can paradoxically reinforce harmful cultural attitudes that dehumanize women and reduce concern for their well-being.

The research “Cover Up That ‘Baby Bump’: Displaying the Pregnant Body Undermines Women’s Perceived Humanness” was authored by Kaitlyn M. Ligman, Emily P. Courtney, Tomi-Ann Roberts, and Jamie L. Goldenberg.