Maternity Wear Research Articles

A Woman from the Sea

When my daughter Meghan was born, the first emotion I experienced, after relief, was that of utter astonishment. Lying on the table, between my shaking legs, was a living human being. This was power. Real power! Like wind and water and fire. What had this to do with those frothy, baby doll maternity clothes? Why didn’t women look like Amazons when they were pregnant? Why had I never seen a pregnant woman swagger? Why hadn’t I?

The pregnant woman's place and where to find it

A two-part study examined attitudes toward pregnancy. The first part — a department store survey — looked at the location of maternity clothes in different status stores. Clothes were located differently, depending on the social class of the store. High status stores located them in or near lingerie and/or loungewear. Lower status stores located them in or near uniforms and/or half sizes. It is suggested that these differences reflect differential attitudes toward pregnancy in the different social classes. The second part of the study examined pregnant women's attitudes toward themselves. In line with the department store findings, there were differences between upper-class women and working-class women in self-report data. These data suggest that pregnancy is viewed differently, depending on social class.

A Maternity dress of about 1845–50

A Maternity dress of about 1845–50

The Expectant Victorian, (Late 19th Century Maternity Clothes)

(1972). The Expectant Victorian, (Late 19th Century Maternity Clothes) Costume: Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 36-42.