Survey the covers of fashion magazines, entertainment platforms, brand campaigns and catwalks; there’s a new trend emerging—and it’s bump-shaped. Unabashed and extended breastfeeding is featured in frank display; unruly, proud, pregnant covergirls put their bumps on show; there are real and raw portrayals of motherhood that reject the reductive notion of mothers as passive caregivers and turn to a language of bold empowerment. Motherhood, in all its aspects, is being embraced by fashion, influencers and entertainers, while its appearance is also reframed for younger female audiences with a new lens.
Audiences cheered as Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Mara Martin walked the runway this summer in Miami in a glittery gold bikini while breastfeeding her five-month-old-daughter Aria. Asked about her choice to nurse unapologetically, Martin told Harper’s Bazaar, “Breastfeeding is a natural thing and has become such a normal part of my daily life the past five months that I didn’t really think anything of it when I decided to walk out.” Martin’s shame-free and matter-of-fact approach to feeding her child is part of a larger cultural shift to #normalizebreastfeeding and celebrate #motherhoodunfiltered, one that’s been gaining momentum in the media and pop culture.