Maternity Apparel

Maternity apparel has undergone profound changes over the past two decades. As recently as the 1970's, pregnant women were looked down upon and shamed. Many pregnant women were literally embarrassed to leave their homes once they were far enough along to be showing. Some industries, like schoolteachers, made pregnant women leave their jobs once they reached a certain stage of their pregnancy. Luckily, the days when a pregnant woman was hidden for nine months are over. Pregnancy is celebrated because it is such an exciting time, and maternity apparel should reflect this excitement. Gone are the days when pregnant women were stuck wearing dull, drab colors, big, baggy tent-like clothing, and childish prints and styles. Maternity clothing is now chic, sophisticated, and sexy. There are designer maternity clothes, boutiques, and maternity lines. Maternity apparel is now celebrated instead of dreaded.
Several years ago, maternity clothing was very limited. An expecting women's wardrobe consisted of a few pairs of same-style pants and tent-style shirts. And were these few varieties stylish? Of course they were not. They were simply made so pregnant women had something to wear not so they looked fashionable or hip. Now, there is such a wide variety of maternity apparel that pregnant women can wear anything they want from sexy maternity jeans and trousers, to sleek maternity tops and tanks. There are now even maternity swimsuits, workout clothes, underwear, and pajamas.