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At 34 weeks, a mom-to-be is carrying approximately 2 kilograms of baby, 4 kilograms of fluid, and endless amounts of F off. Needless to say, the thought of being desirable is the furthest thought from her pregnant brain.
Reddit user Dioxycyclone took to the online forum to share just how "super gross" life at 34 weeks of pregnancy really is and her confusion, or rather disgust, at the amount of male attention her state seems to attract.
Admitting that she couldn't give a fig about the way she looks, she wrote:
"I am clearly very big and pregnant. I am very snippy and not super pleasant... pretty sure I’m mostly gas at this point, and I’m 100% not attractive and not trying to be. I’m trying to not waddle and to finish my work and not pee myself.
"80% of the guys at work are total dads and are excitedly asking me about how I’m feeling... I love these conversations because men being all excited about babies melts my heart.
"But there’s that 20% where I’m getting hit on (!!!) by a few guys that I work with."
Apart from the reasonable outrage that even now – after the Me Too movement – men would still have the gall to hit on women at work, what emerged was that the experience is quite typical among pregnant women.
Also see: Pregnancy Week-by-week
Do men flirt with you now that you're pregnant? Tell us about the interesting experiences you've had and we could publish your letter. Anonymous contributions are welcome.
Not okay, just common
"When I was nearly 40 weeks pregnant, I stopped on my way home from work to get a Slurpee. I come out of the store, waddling to my Jeep, Slurpee in hand when a guy yells at me, 'Hey little mama, did yo baby daddy stick around or can I get yo number?'" (Posted by sirtunaboots)
"I got hit on by a damn teenager once and when I pointed to my big belly he asked if I was with my baby's daddy ... For real, bro?" (Posted by victoriasaurusrex)
"You aren’t alone in this, I’m 32 weeks pregnant and clearly showing and the guys at my work will constantly hit on me." (Posted by freckledsweetpotato)
"I feel 'ya, I'm 37 weeks today and I'm getting a lot of male attention, even my hubby has noticed it. He thinks it's because I'm a walking advertisement for fertility." (Posted by WoodmanAgitator)
While the relatable levels of the post were clearly obvious, one poster, toomanyburritos, offered a why to all the hows.
"I'm sure there is some sort of biological reasoning when a man looks at a pregnant woman and thinks, 'Well, I know she has sex'. Then the daydreaming about it after that. So yeah, could just be a biological thing and women might experience it more if it was obvious when a man is a father. I know I personally see a man as more attractive if I see him holding a cute baby, so maybe it's that kind of thing? Not that it justifies any of this, but it might be instincts coming into play a little bit."
Also see: "I trained my old dog to pick up anything I couldn’t reach" and other hilarious pregnancy hacks
Instinct it is
While not exactly prisoners of their genes, men being attracted to pregnant women can indeed be pinpointed to that crazy little thing called hormones, and one study is showing just how far the attraction goes.
And that's all the way back before conception.
A unique University of Texas at Austin study asked 52 male participants to sniff their way through 42 T-shirts previously worn by women in various stages of their menstrual cycle: that is, their ovulatory and non-ovulatory phases.
Psychology professor and leading researcher Devendra Singh then asked the men to judge the t-shirts based on scent, looking out for pleasantness, intensity and sexiness of odour.
Each t-shirt was rated and the findings concluded that the men found the t-shirt worn during the ovulatory phase sexier and more pleasant than t-shirts worn during the non-ovulatory phase.
And since pregnant women are quite literally the embodiment of fertility, their apparent appeal isn't surprising. But that still doesn't excuse the behaviour.
Pregnant women may be "walking advertisement for fertility", but just because you saw the ad, doesn't mean you can afford the product.
Chat back:
Can you relate to this mom? Do men flirt with you now that you're pregnant? Tell us about the interesting experiences you've had and we could publish your letter. Anonymous contributions are welcome.
