A new social media trend has appeared in China, and it is quite different: more and more young, single women are posing for maternity photos with fake pregnancy bellies, long before they actually become expectant mothers. The “pre-set photoshoot trend,” according to a report in the ‘South China Morning Post’, allows women to capture and cherish the image of motherhood during their youth.
Mixed reactions, mostly among older generations who uphold traditional Chinese values, have been ignited by this phenomenon. Such “single but pregnant” imagery, once taboo, caught many parents off guard. The trend coincides with China’s declining birth and marriage rates. According to reports from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, only 4.75 million marriage registrations were recorded in the first nine months of 2024, indicating a societal shift in the country.
This trend made headlines after Generation Z influencer “Meizi Gege,” from Hunan province, posted her maternity photoshoot on October 13. It went viral, and she is followed by over 5.7 million followers on a popular social media website. She donned the fake pregnancy belly and spoke about her skinny figure and young appearance as she posed for maternity photos, and that is how I enjoyed my pre-made life. Even my best friend did it!
Her video featured the scenes behind the scenes that reveal a photographer adding some props and an assistant affixing the fake belly. Inspired by her post, one of her followers commented on saying, “I learned something new. I’m gonna buy a fake belly and take maternity photos while I’m still at my slimmest!” To which Meizi Gege humorously answered back, “How people can be so smart!
The trend has gained attention from females as young as their early 20s. One 26-year-old graduate revealed that she took maternity photos at the age of 23, despite being single. Another said that she had taken wedding photos at the age of 22. She explained, “Just in case I get wrinkles by 30.
This is one easy way of embracing the trend, as fake bellies are available online in various sizes to replicate various stages of pregnancy. For many women, it’s the desire to capture good-looking maternity images without undergoing physical changes associated with actual pregnancy.
However, the trend has set off public debate. Detractors feel that it perpetuates idealized beauty standards of youth, slimness, and faultlessness even during pregnancy, exacerbating body image anxiety for new mothers. It has also inspired netizens to have a good laugh and joke around at the trend. A user wrote, “I will take my 70th birthday photos now, then upload them to social media later. It’ll make me look so young! ” Another quipped, “I will find some time to arrange my funeral pictures before I die.” A third remarked, “I must take more photos while I am still young, so I can use them for online dating when I am older.”
