What Men Really Think About Pregnant Women - You'll Be Shell-Shocked To Know The Truth!

More often than not, pregnant women don’t consider themselves as beautiful or attractive because of their growing belly. Along with the baby bump, other parts begin to swell and sometimes, you just don’t feel that great mentally and physically. So, when someone compliments you, especially your spouse, you tend to ignore him.

However, ladies, believe your husband because he really does think you are beautiful, sexy, and attractive, and they get frustrated when you refuse to believe them.

In This Article

A Common Scenario

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Man: “You look absolutely beautiful tonight!”

Woman: “Are you crazy?! I look awful, fat, and disgusting! Are you blind?”

After which the man has no idea what to do and feels utterly useless.

From personal experiences, men agree that the above conversation is a common occurrence between mommies and daddies to be. They say that women are expert critics of themselves and others, especially when it comes to pregnancy. We can’t help but agree! Men even think that the critique is harsher if the woman had body image problems before pregnancy.

The Other Problem

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When you complain about your body, men are at a loss, as they don’t know what to do. They feel helpless, confused, and bewildered when their partners don’t accept the compliments. More importantly, by not accepting their compliments, men feel dismissed and rejected. They want you to listen and believe them, because they genuinely mean the compliments.

Expert And Self-Help Books

Dave Berry’s book Babies and Other Hazards of Sex offers advice to first time/expecting fathers. He states, “The key here is to be sensitive. You must not let your wife think you find her unattractive just because she’s getting tremendously fat. Go out of your way to reassure her on this point. From time to time, say to her: ‘I certainly don’t find you unattractive just because you’re getting tremendously fat.’” Oh, and did we mention he has an art of making jokes?

Other experts such as, beauty activists Mysko and MagaliAmadei talk about what to say to a pregnant woman, especially one who hates her body or has an eating disorder, in their book Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat?: The Essential Guide to Loving Your Body Before and After Baby. This book informs you of knowledge and empathy pregnant women need, but can’t get from other sources.

That being said, it isn’t that simple. Women, as told by men, are always attuned to the opinions of other women, which is why they seldom listen to men.

Apart from women, men are also encouraged to read the book because:

  • They need to know what they’re up against during pregnancy.
  • They will know what to experience with their partner.
  • They will be able to familiarise themselves with pregnancy myths and facts.

The “Unforgiving Lens”

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Authors of the book say that body image problems stem from an “unforgiving lens”. This is a metaphorical lens where women see themselves through, but the question is why? To help in understanding this question, here’s what the book had to say, “When your partner sees you through the eyes of love, do not take for granted what a precious compliment you’ve been given. It’s not something to be dismissed or discounted. Do whatever you need to do to see yourself through loving eyes, too …”

We for one couldn’t agree more with the above statement. If a loved one wants to make you feel good about yourself, or is simply complimenting you out of pure love and affection, don’t run away from it, just be appreciative.

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