If you do a quick Google search of ‘maternity wear’, you’ll be greeted with a plethora of similar images. Almost all of the suggestions of clothes to fit a pregnant body will be some sort of dress, be it professional and sleek or maxi and ready for the summer. Many of the maternity clothes are also typically ‘feminine’ colours or have floral prints on them too. And while this may suit some, for many pregnant people, this is exclusionary.
This is an issue that very often leaves pregnant LGBTQ people in a dilemma. For example, pregnant trans men may struggle to find clothes that suit their bodies due to the fact that it’s uncommon that maternity lines will make clothes for pregnant men. Non-binary or genderqueer bodies also aren’t catered to and neither are lesbians who prefer more masculine clothes.
This is a problem that Butchbaby & Co. would like to solve, and later this year the company will release a line of “alternity wear for pregnant masculine, transgender, and queer individuals” that includes sweaters, jeans, hoodies and boxer briefs.
The company’s vision statement explains that:
The vision of Butchbaby & Co. is to create a world where pregnant individuals’ identities don’t have to change just because one’s body does. Alternity wear is the alternative to the hyperfeminine, heteronormative, eurocentric maternity wear that only exists today.”
What is also positive is that Butchbaby is part of a growing, inclusive trend. As profiled by ABC News, there are also companies like Bluestockings Boutique which offers a range of queer-owned and designer underwear brands and there is also the Los Angeles-based company Sharpe Suiting which makes bespoke suits without making assumptions about the wearer’s gender or identity.
We may still be a long way away from clothing retailers doing away with ‘male’ and ‘female’ sections in their stores, but hopefully this trend continues.
