If you can’t say something nice, don’t say it at all. Nearly every time any picture of a pregnant woman hits the web, someone somewhere finds offense with her choice of maternity wear.

So many celebrities and non-celebrity mamas-to-be get called “disgusting”, “fat” and a whole slew of other diminutive terms for the most outrageous reasons.

What these haters fail to realize is these expectant mothers should be praised and told they look beautiful – because they do! It can’t be stated enough that growing a little human (or multiples!) is extremely hard work. Walking around the grocery store as fast as before is like running a marathon and getting dressed is even worse.

One of the biggest challenges during pregnancy is finding clothes that:

  1. Fit
  2. Look good

If you can look at yourself in the mirror and check off both of those at once, then you’re stellar. But even if you can’t, that still doesn’t give permission for anyone else to body shame you for the weight gained or the choice of clothing.

So let’s have a look at 18 women whose clothing choices unjustly infuriated some people.

18 Charisha Gobin – Underdressed In Crop Top

So if a teenager or a millennial wears a crop top to a restaurant, it’s considered fashion-forward and trendy. But if a pregnant woman does it, then she is turned away from the restaurant for violating health code rules.

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? And yet, that’s exactly what happened to Charisha Gobin. She’s no celebrity. She is just a regular expectant mom-to-be who fancied a nice meal at Buzz Inn Steakhouse. Upon arriving to the restaurant, she was denied entry for apparently violating the “no shoes, no shirt, no service” health code policy.

Pro tip to anyone considering wearing a crop top to school or anywhere else: it’s apparently not a shirt.

“Just because my belly was bigger and sticking out. But had it been anyone else, I don't think there would've been any problem whatsoever”, Gobin stated.

It’s true though. So many people get away with the most outrageous fashion choices and yet a pregnant woman who maybe couldn’t tolerate the feel of fabric on her belly that day, was turned away.

17 Katie Fehlinger - Sausage In A Casing

When it comes to pregnancy, it seems no women is immune from the hateful comments. Katie Fehlinger, another meteorologist, was also targeted starting from her second month of pregnancy.

Some pregnant women are smaller, some are bigger – no matter what, size doesn’t matter. In Katie’s case however, she was mostly able to brush off the hateful comments that were sent her way. After all, she had a job to keep doing even though she was advancing through her pregnancy.

She held her head high even as one viewer likened her appearance to a “sausage in a casing” but it’s one comment in particular that made her go over the edge. After one viewer wrote in to say: “sticking your pregnant abdomen out like that is disgusting”, she decided enough was enough and fired back with this Facebook post:

16 Rebecca Judd – Anorexic

Do you see anything wrong with Rebecca Judd’s pictures? We certainly don’t.

“You look anorexic,” wrote one callous commenter online. Another chimed in with: “You need a feed and some flattering clothing.”

Cue the eye-raising and the gasps at all of those comments.

Judd said in response: “Thin used to be a body type. Like a normal body type. Now it's almost seen as an illness.”

As much as her choice of maternity dress was infuriating to some, the fact remains that she chose it based on her comfort level and that is all that matters. As you can see from the smile on her face and merely from the fact that this is the picture she chose to post online for all to see, it’s obvious that she felt confident and attractive in the dress.

15 Porshe Thomas - So Black

Once again, another heavily pregnant woman got shamed while wearing a bikini. What was model Prosche Thomas supposed to do? Hide away until she gave birth?

The worst part is that one person actually went so far as to say that her belly was “so black”, while another commented that her pregnant body looked “nasty.” Speechless.

Whether pregnant or not, her choice to wear or not wear a bikini isn’t anyone’s business. Every pregnant woman deserves the right to show off her belly because at the end of the day, women should be commended and celebrated for the hard work that goes into carrying a child. Even more so in Porshe Thomas’ case as she was actually pregnant with twins at the time that this picture was taken!

Luckily, she didn’t let any haters ruin her good pregnancy vibes!

14 Laura Warren – ‘Disgusting’

Pregnant women want to feel sexy too! That’s undoubtedly what news anchor Laura Warren had thought prior to putting on this dress.

Yes, it looks a little too tight and maybe a dress in a bigger size may have been more appropriate. But did it really justify the voicemail that she received from a viewer?

Body shaming is never acceptable and yet in the voicemail, the viewer said: “Buy some decent maternity clothes so you don't walk around looking like you got a watermelon strapped under your too-tight outfits.”

She also added: “Target's got a great line of maternity clothes in case you've never heard of such a thing. You're getting to where you're being disgusting on the TV”.

Warren totally hit the nail on the head in her response to the bully viewer:

“Unfortunately, I'm pregnant, hormonal, currently not allowed to drink wine, and feeling extra in touch with my feminist side.”

She continued: “I'm just going to turn her negative energy into positive energy. I'm going to say as many nice things as I can to as many people as I can, and I'm going to do it in a dress that fits these beautiful new curves with my 'watermelon' stomach showing."

13 Kelsey Mcewen – Another ‘Disgusting’ One

Laura Warren isn’t the only on-air personality to have been hit with body shaming remarks during her pregnancy.

A viewer was particularly repulsed by the maternity attire that Canadian meteorologist Kelsey Mcewen’s chose to wear on air. The viewer fired a snarky remark on Twitter, which Mcewen immediately shut down:

She later also elaborated: “You know what’s disgusting? Not my wear, but racism and hate and bullying.”

Truer words couldn’t have been spoken. Why is that women in the media who aren’t pregnant are praised for their tight-fitting clothes and yet a pregnant woman who actually wears maternity wear is called “disgusting”? Even during pregnancy women want to feel beautiful and when your belly is getting bigger by the day, it can be very hard to find something to wear at the risk of looking like you’re wearing a mumu.

12 Revie Jane Schulz – Too Big

Wearing seemingly “too tight” clothes is unavoidable during pregnancy. Trying to keep up with an ever-expanding belly during pregnancy is one of the hardest things ever. One day, you will feel super attractive and in control of your body and then suddenly the next day, you find yourself not fitting into the latest maternity jeans you bought.

With this being said, when Australian fitness blogger Revie Jane Schulz took her Instagram during her pregnancy, she started off her post with: “Me at #24Weeks and I looked like a lot of people's full term”. This brings up a very valuable point about fashion choices during pregnancy.

Some body shamers might express fury over her choice of dress at 24 weeks pregnant. Yes it’s tight, but just because she is pregnant doesn’t mean she doesn’t still want to feel attractive! Plus, the fabric actually does look quite comfortable and she certainly pulls the dress off quite well!

11 Alicia Silverstone - "Protruding"

Speaking of comfort, sometimes during pregnancy, being comfortable means exposing your belly. Back when she was pregnant, Alicia Silverstone was photographed leaving a pre-natal yoga class while cradling the bottom part of her exposed belly.

At the time, news and gossip outlets weren’t all too nice to her, suggesting that she might want to try on some maternity clothes as her “huge baby bump [was] protruding beneath her tight-fitting gym wear”.

Quite frankly, that’s a downright rude and vicious way to describe her style. Not all pregnant women opt for maternity wear and that’s perfectly fine too! Not only that, but there is also a good chance that she preferred to have her belly bare during her pre-natal yoga class, a choice that many pregnant women make for comfort reasons.

Just by her Crocs, it’s clear that her maternity style was centered around comfort.

10 Coco Austen – Too Revealing

A woman’s pregnancy fashion style can be infuriating for completely different reasons too. In Coco Austin’s case, she admitted being the most “unpregnant pregnant person” ever during her pregnancy, a statement that she very clearly emphasized with her style.

Due in December of the year she was pregnant, the above picture was actually taken in October of that year when she was deliberating what to wear. Here are more pictures from her pregnancy:

While many might have major issues with her style, the thing to remember here is that it’s her body and her choice. Pregnancy doesn’t mean that you suddenly need to buckle down and look like a nun. Some women actually prefer to show off their pregnancy boobs and there is nothing wrong with that either! At the end of the day, we all just want to look great and get compliments for it (even more so during pregnancy).

9 Blac Chyna – Too Revealing

Step aside Kim, Blac Chyna is another Kardashian-affiliated hot mama whose clothes are enough to get the tabloids talking for weeks. During her pregnancy, her style stirred up quite some talk and actually for two different reasons.

On the one hand, her outfits were deemed a touch too on the curve-hugging side. By a touch, I mean a lot. But if that’s what she is comfortable in, who are we to judge?

For many celebrities, constantly being bombarded by paparazzi means that they want to look their absolute best at all times. Some women gain quite a bit of weight during their pregnancies, others hardly gain any, but all women have one thing in common: looking fashionable is difficult when you have an ever growing belly, water retention and all the other pregnancy symptoms.

8 Beyoncé – Obese

Beyoncé is famous for singing “I got beauty, I got class” and that’s a statement that she truly abides by. And yet, it didn’t stop the trolls from peeping out of the woodwork during her pregnancy as many characterized her style by calling her “fat”, “obese” and “swollen”.

It can’t be stated enough that pregnant women just want to feel comfortable! Most of us get bigger than the “norm”, but that too is still perfectly normal. Body shaming a pregnant woman is completely unacceptable.

When you’re just getting bigger and bigger, it can be very hard to find clothes that still fit. Most of the time, no matter what you wear, you still don’t quite look like usual but that is completely too be expected. There is a growing baby in that belly after all!

So were her clothes infuriating? To trolls yes, to herself, no and that’s what counts most of all.

7 Danielle Lloyd – Beached Whale

Lo and behold, online haters found another beached whale. It’s really easy to hate when you’re sitting behind a computer screen and it certainly didn’t stop hordes of mean trolls from calling Danielle Lloyd a “beached whale” – all because she wore a bathing suit during her pregnancy.

She had this to say in response:

“To all the people writing horrible comments saying I look like a washed up whale in these pictures I won't let you get me down and try and body shame a pregnant women! No women should be shamed for the way they look am proud of my body yes I've got fat yes I've got cellulite at least I don't air brush my pictures am real... and if u don't like it ✌”.

A bathing suit is still considered a piece of clothing and if you ask us, we think she looks amazing!

6 Alanna Masterson - Too Fat For The Apocalypse

You would think that The Walking Dead fans would be a little more understanding when Alanna Masterson, the actress who plays Tara, began wearing more loose clothing. Many made fan of the actress asking how anyone could gain weight while running away from a horde of zombies but in truth, the actress was actually in her second and third trimesters during much of the sixth season.

She fired back on Instagram with:

“Dear Instagram trolls, body shamers, and the men and woman who think it's ok to comment on my weight: I hope that you don't have children. […] Maybe you can't get it through your thick f*cking skull, but nursing a baby for a year (and pumping in a van between takes, in the dead of summer in Georgia) is a lot of work, determination, and scheduling. So before you decide to make a comment about my chest being "too large" or how "fat" I've become, just know that this little girl got the best start to life.”

5 Cindy Morgan – Distasteful And Disrespectful

Believe or not, another meteorologist faced the same pregnancy body shamers as Laura Warren and Kelsey Mcewan – people seriously have no shame when they’re hiding behind a computer screen or phone. It’s beyond easy to fire away hateful comments about someone’s physical appearance through text but it’s a whole ‘nother ballgame to do it to their face.

According to some viewers, Cindy Morgan's (pictured above in the middle) maternity wear choices were “distasteful and disrespectful”:

Maybe they would have preferred her to wear a potato sack?

The truth of the matter is that there is just no winning with anyone. At some point, someone somewhere will always find offence with the smallest thing. In Cindy Morgan’s case, the most important thing is that what she wore made her feel comfortable and beautiful during a time that it can be quite hard to experience either one of those feeling – let alone both of them together!

4 Britney Spears - Overexposed

During their pregnancy, many women actually find themselves feeling very sensitive to any kinds of clothing or fabric on their bumps.

Although she hasn’t confirmed anything about it, it’s quite possible that is the reason that the Queen of Pop decided to go out in public like this. At the same time though, Britney is known for her quirky style in public. Most of all, she is also famous for her ultra-provocative style that barely leaves anything to the imagination.

Yes the combination of her barely-covering pink top, long flowy blue skirt and cowboy boots are an odd pairing, but if that’s what she felt comfortable in during her pregnancy, no one should be bashing her for it.

Many were nonetheless outraged by the fashion choice, but if you got it, flaunt it -- in this case a lovely bump that is!

3 Kate Middleton – Too Skinny

Now that Kate Middleton is pregnant a third time, you can bet that she will be facing a third wave of body shamers. During her first two pregnancies, the media went crazy wondering “is Kate Middleton’s bump too small?”

In particular, tabloids enjoyed comparing her bump to Kim Kardashian’s. While Kim was described as a looking like a “killer whale”, Kate was said to be too skinny, which goes to show that women just can’t win when it comes to their appearance. Too small, too big, but apparently never “just right”.

Kate’s fashion choices probably didn’t help her cause either. Pregnant or not, she tends to opt for a more elegant and casual style. Rather than skin-tight dresses, she is most likely to be seen in public in more flowy dresses that never expose too much. This also means that her bump might look smaller than it really is, but ultimately that is her fashion choice and what she is most comfortable in.

2 Jessica Simpson - Too Big

During her pregnancy, Jessica Simpson, the queen of Daisy Duke shorts was mercilessly shamed for being “fat”. In defending herself, she said:

“What’s so unbelievable is that I was probably at least 15 pounds smaller than I am right now. [...] What’s more unbelievable is that the press could create something like that out of a pair of jeans... What woman wants to be brought down for wearing a pair of jeans?”

She also added: "It's like, 'I'm pregnant! How could I be fat-shamed?'" she said laughing. "OK, that makes sense. It's not fair. I deserve a f---ing donut!"

Both of her statement bring up a really good point about how no pregnant woman deserves any body shaming. No commend should also certainly not be made about her clothing choices!

1 Kim Kardashian – Cringeworthy Maternity Style

Using a surrogate for her third child, Kim Kardashian likely will be spared the body shaming comments this time around.

But during her first two pregnancies, the media wasn’t all too kind with regards to her appearance.

Here’s the thing that the media needs to understand though: the number one way that Kim makes her millions is through her sex appeal. In every single picture that she takes of herself, she makes sure to look her most “extra” because at the end of the day, it’s that public image that makes her even more money. It’s all about da money’ money’.

It’s true that some of Kim’s worth pregnancy pictures are cringe-worthy. In a way, she should be praised for continuing to rock those heels without a single agonizing look on her face. But on the other hand, carrying a baby is hard enough as it is and surely the media would have cut her some slack if she had opted for some comfier maternity clothes.

Sources: ThisisInsider.com, Dailymail.co.uk, Popculture.com, ABC11.com, Today.com, Philly.com, and ETOnline.com.