If you’ve ever stood in line at the grocery store, undoubtedly you’ve seen the tabloids asking “is she pregnant?” A different Hollywood star is accused of pregnancy in any given week it seems. I can’t imagine the horror of having an unflattering photo of myself plastered across the entire country, telling everyone I’m pregnant when I’m not. When you’re pregnant, you want to look pregnant and you want everyone to know. But if you’re not pregnant, the accusations are hurtful. A person might as well say, “You look fat!”
Current fashions play into this trend, with empire waists and draping tunics that flow around the midriff, the illusion of a baby bump is easily created. But even if a woman appears to have a little extra volume around her midsection, a decent person should keep their eyes up and their lips zipped. How many of us women have had one of those mornings where we wake up bloated? Every single one of us!
The attitude that everyone has the right to know everyone else’s business has crossed over from pop culture to real life. One of my best friends was humiliated in front of her entire class this past week when one student asked her if she was pregnant. Unmarried and definitely not pregnant, my friend was appalled and hurt by her student’s accusation. A junior high student should know better!
You should never ask a woman if she is pregnant. There is no reason to. If she is not pregnant, the woman will be hurt. If she is pregnant, she will wonder if people think she is overweight, since it wasn’t obvious that she was pregnant to the person who asked. Furthermore, if a woman is pregnant, that is her private business. It is rude to demand such information from a person.