Pregnancy Is Sexy ... and It Sells
Jan. 12, 2006 — -- Liza Elliot-Ramirez was surprised to get more modeling work when she was pregnant. Recognizing the market niche, she founded Expecting Models in 2001 and is the executive producer of "Runway Mom."
The new Discovery Health Channel reality show features real-life stories of pregnant models, capitalizing on a growing trend -- pregnancy sells.
"I think in part it's because more and more women are so actively involved in business and high positions," Elliot-Ramirez said.
Advertisers are featuring pregnant models in ads for things that have nothing to do with maternity clothes, including cars and hardware.
"Pregnancy has become a beauty status symbol," said Marian Salzman, a trend spotter at J. Walter Thompson.
Elliot-Ramirez said that in the last year she had seen a 45-percent increase in mainstream advertisers wanting pregnant models. She also said top shoots could earn pregnant models up to $40,000 a day.
The pregnancy-can-be-sexy trend can be traced back to Demi Moore's 1991 Vanity Fair cover. Since then, Britney Spears, Gwyneth Paltrow, and supermodel Heidi Klum have followed suit, serving as reminders that pregnancy can be chic. And now, Angelina Jolie is expecting.
"Jolie could change [the] pregnancy image even more if she does things like go to Third World countries while big and pregnant," Salzman said.
To learn more about Expecting Models, visit www.expectingmodels.com.