Here cometh the boss baby

Celebs are going all out to make pregnancy announcements on social media. Is it cute or a display of sheer vanity? Team Viva finds out

Is pregnancy meant to be kept a normal affair till the safe delivery of the child? Or at least celebrated with showers and such only when the health threshhold of the foetus has been crossed? Turns out that the arrival of a new baby now merits a declaration and celebration with the world at large much before term.  Celebrities across the globe are finding quirky ways to announce the arrival of their babies. While social observers see this as the commodification of every aspect of a celebrity’s personal life and an attempt to enrich the aura, some critics also wonder whether this halo on the unborn child doesn’t amount to subjecting his future life to more pressure and media scrutiny. One only needs to look at the pictures of Baby Taimur and Baby Misha on social media platforms these days to understand the weight of expectations we are burdening them with and the popularity that far outstrips the brand value of their parents.

The problem with sharing a beautiful moment as a confirmation of pregnancy is that it should be done with a core emotional and feeling circle rather than trivialising its delicateness by screaming to the world. Psychologist Swarnalatha Iyer feels that every individual has an innate tendency to show off their child. “It is a natural human tendency. When a person is blessed with the news of a child, they love to speak about their children — s/he takes after their parents, looks like them or behaves like them. Unfortunately, I don’t think we should judge celebrities on it. This could be their way of behaving normal and for them the fan world is their raison-d-etre. While we keep our private albums, social media has become the celebrity’s album.”

Elaborating upon the argument further, she goes on to say, “I don’t think celebs see it as a form of exhibitionism. Especially when both parents are famous, they are just trying to show the world that they are normal parents.”

Pooja C Satish, psychologist, feels that having a baby is one of the greatest joys in the world, but along with it comes various mixed emotions and feelings for the parents-to-be. “In Indian culture, pregnancy is shrouded with beliefs and superstitions for the safe-keeping of the child, which puts the parents in a dilemma about whether to announce or keep their big news a secret. What we must realise is that celebrities have a double dilemma. They are constantly in the limelight and are often expected by the masses to share their most cherished or private events. If a celebrity tries to avoid the attention, they are labelled as elusive. The social pressure that comes from being a celebrity, the comparisons to their contemporaries and their wish to keep the public involved and informed in their lives may be some of the reasons for trend of the increasing baby announcements among celebrities. So, if a celebrity does come up with creative and unique baby announcements, it is not fair to perceive that as vain. Rather for the celebrity parents, it would be the best and cutest way to share their joy and happiness with the world.”

However, any action of the celebrity tends to get imitated by fans which then gets taken to ludicrous extremes. And in this scenario, let not the halo of social media ruin the most beautiful aspect of a new life, that of innocence.

HOW THEY DID IT

Eva Longoria posted a picture where she was holding her baby bump captioned: “New year, new adventures! I’m so grateful to my beautiful family for giving this new baby so much love already.” Then there was Beyonce sitting on a dais with flowers in the background, wearing a veil with a bump. Lauren Conrad posted a sonogram picture whereas Olivia Wilde was seen sitting on the bed with her child, where both of them are holding their bumps. Naya Rivera announced the joyous news with a comic picture of a bun in the oven. Doutzen Kroes posed nude showing her baby bump to the world whereas Torrey and Chanel Smith are seen eating spaghetti with pasta sauce brand Prego on the table. American Idol winner Carrie Underwood announced the news of her first-time pregnancy with a picture of her dogs wearing “I’m going to be a big sister and big brother” outfits. Kevin and Danielle Jonas announced they’re expecting their second child alongside a photo where the couple is sitting on the bed surrounded by piles of comfort food with the husband holding the book, What to expect when you are expecting.

Closer home, Sania Mirza and Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik kept things simple and announced that “Baby Mirza-Malik” is on the way with a graphic representation of three locker room cupboards with the middle one having a onesie with Mirza-Malik written below it. Mira Rajput and Shahid Kapoor posted a sweet picture of daughter Misha lying on a blackboard and giggling. Beside her was the drawing of balloons with Big Sister written on top to announce the second baby. Neil Nitin Mukesh celebrated his first wedding anniversary with Rukmini Sahay in February and simultaneously shared the good news on social media. The actor posted a set of photos along with the caption, “Now we will be three.” One of the pictures sees hands holding a pair of baby shoes, while another had a drawing of a stork flying with a baby and the words “to be delivered soon” written on it.

Some social media posts announcing pregnancy are creative while others are simply cute. Karolina Kurkova shared a picture in which her baby boy Toby is seen kissing his mother’s bump and sharing his love for his sibling. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis posted a picture of their baby girl along with baby animals and other babies requesting for privacy and saying all babies are cute. Scott Foley revealed his wife Marika Dominczyk was expecting a third child by posting a picture of her holding a huge frying pan in a grocery shop.