Posting A Positive Pregnancy Test On Social Media Is Gross, #SorryNotSorry
Moms, I get it. I know most of us have access to phones with not only a camera, but also Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It would take literally all of two minutes to snap a picture and post it and I think this has made some people drunk with power. And very low on good judgment. There are many ways to tell your social media circle the good news that you are pregnant. However, one method I will never understand is posting a positive pregnancy test for everyone to see. I think it is the perfect example of how over-board society has gone with sharing every.single.thing on social media.
This post was inspired by Tamara Mowry’s accouncement this weekend, which I think is actually a promotional thing for Clearblue digital pregnancy tests. She is pictured, perfectly coiffed, holding the positive stick she peed on with a look of faux shock on her face. The reason I felt compelled to write this post is because I almost didn’t register what she was holding. I must see so many pee sticks on the internet that I am barely affected by it anymore. Guys, we have to stop. We have to stop before people are posting artsy video of a slow-mo urine stream with tinkly (pun intended) piano music in the background. Before we take pictures of our older kids gathered around us while we awkwardly hold the stick, squatting over the toilet, so they can be the FIRST ONES to know about their impending sibling. This does not have to be “the new norm.” We are teetering on the edge of taking things too far and I feel the need to rant about it.
I can’t understand the idea of over-share on social media for many things but I am taking particular issue right now with showing your nearest and dearest a photo of something you’ve peed on. Yes, I know- that digital “pregnant” popping up is pretty trippy. Every time it’s happened to me, I have wanted to show the world- but I held back. Mostly, because it had my pee on it and even if I put the little cap back on the business end, it does not change the fact that I am showing my social media world something that I peed on. Am I too prude-y for 2015? Am I out of touch with the new wave of moms that want to share every moment of their pregnancies with their internet circles? Maybe. I still won’t change my mind.
All I’m saying is, think about it. You can do better than a quick snap of a urine-soaked pregnancy test to tell the world you are expecting. When the time comes, you can pose your older child in an adorable “big sister/brother” shirt. You can write it Pinterest-style on a black board and stand in a field of wild flowers cradling your budding baby bump. You can post video of you actually saying it. Just save the pee stick for you and your partner. Trust me, no one else wants to see it anyway.
(Image: Piotr Marcinski/Shutterstock)
