These Women Were Photographed Before And After Becoming Mothers
Becoming a mother is a huge life transition. Photographer Vaida Razmislavičė decided to create a photo series documenting how women change physically when they turn into mothers. The series is called Becoming A Mother. Vaida photographed 33 women, before and after they delivered their firstborn.
Vaida said, "For this photo idea, I chose a very simple format, as if I was taking passport photos. I wanted to highlight my model's gaze, taking away everything that would interfere with it (i.e. the belly)."
Straight Hair, Don't Care
Either this woman has time to straighten her hair post-baby, or she has naturally straight hair and she had time to curl it before the baby was born.
We might never know the truth.
Switching Things Up With Red Hair
This woman dyed her hair red after giving birth to her first child. We think that red color suits her complexion and her eye color quite well.
Motherhood also suits her quite well.
The Big Chop
This woman got a very typical mom haircut. What is it about having kids that makes you want to chop off your hair?
It's probably easier to take care of this way.
Now That's A Post-Pregnancy Glow
They say that pregnant women have a glow, but we think new moms do too. This woman clearly has a post-pregnancy glow in the second photo.
She looks so happy to be a mom.
A New, More Practical Braid
This woman realized that it's easier to keep her hair out of her face when she's caring for her new baby if she ties it back in a braid.
We think the new look is working for her.
Au Natural Wavy Hair
This mom seems to be letting her natural waves come out now that she has a new baby.
It just goes to show that you can still stay natural and look put together as a new mom.
A Discerning Look
This mom went for a more neutral lipstick after having the baby, but other than that, she looks pretty much the same. She's as beautiful as she always was.
Those glasses really frame her face.
From Chic Bob To Chic Mom
Just because this beautiful woman became a mother, doesn't mean she had to give up her chic, short hair.
Now she wear her bob with choppy layers to make it easy to style in mornings.
No More Time For A Haircut
This mom let her hair grow out a little bit, but other than that, she looks very similar to how she looked before having a baby.
This transformation is an internal one.
This New Mom Is Glowing Now
This woman seems to truly be glowing now that she's become a mom.
Not much has change but the brightness in her eyes and smile shows she loves her new journey.
Time To Grow Out The Bangs
This mom decided to grow out her bangs after having a baby. Having bangs can be hard to maintain. you have to keep going back to the salon to get the cut.
There's no time for that when you're a mom.
From Quiet And Reserved To Happy And Glowing
Anyone with curly hair knows it can be hard to handle.
This woman tames her beautiful curls effortlessly both before and after becoming a mother. Her hair perfectly frames her joyful smile!
A Quick Chop
This mom cut a few inches off of her hair after having her first child.
Maybe it's so her baby doesn't pull on her hair while she's busy being a mom.
Smile For The Camera
This woman looks a lot happier now that she's a mom.
Her life must have taken a turn for the better. Either that or she just didn't feel like smiling in the first picture.
To Braid Or Not To Braid
Before having a baby, this mom had all the time in the world to braid her hair.
Now that she has a little one to take care of, she chooses to leave her hair down.
A Brilliant Smile
This woman has a lovely smile on her face now that she's a new mom.
That hair color and style really suits her, but it's the smile that makes the biggest difference.
It's All In The Eyes
In all of the photos, the models look very similar pre- and post-baby.
Perhaps this is a comment on how women don't need to lose their sense of self when they become mothers.
A Brighter Blue
This woman looks pretty much the same now as before she became a mother. She is wearing a brighter blue shirt now, though.
It could be a new shirt, or maybe it's something she's had in her closet for a while.
A Shorter Cut
This mom found some time in her busy schedule to get a haircut.
Do you think she looks better with long hair or short hair? Both options suit her face quite well.
Short Bangs
This mom's funky haircut has grown out since she had a baby.
That must be on purpose because it does look like she found time to get her bangs trimmed.
A Young Mom
Become a mother is a blessing, no matter how old you are.
This mom looks rather young, and she also looks like she's taking motherhood in stride. She doesn't look frazzled at all.
Maintaining The Curls
Maintaining a head of curly hair is no easy feat. Women with hair like this put a lot of work into washing, drying, and styling.
This mom manages to do all that while caring for her new baby.
Long Hair, Don't Care
This mom let her roots grow out after she gave birth to her first baby. We think that the ombre look kind of suits her.
Motherhood looks good on her.
The Same Face
This mom went from wearing a very light lipstick to no lipstick at all. Her natural beauty really shines through in the second photo.
It looks like these pictures could have been taken on the same day.
A Similar Look
This new mom hasn't changed much at all since giving birth to her first child.
It's almost like motherhood has left her the same person on the outside while changing her completely on the inside.
Still The Same Person
SO much changes when you become a mom for the first time, but this woman has managed to hold on to her pre-baby self.
She's even wearing the same shirt as before.
A New Perspective
This woman is still wearing white shirts, but now she's a mom.
A lot has changed in her life, even though it doesn't look like a lot has changed in these two pictures.
A Brighter Day
This woman looks almost exactly the same as she did before she gave birth. Her hair is the same length, and her eyebrows are the same shape.
She is a little less tanned in the second photo.
Are You Sure This Is A Before And After?
This woman looks like she hasn't aged a day since she gave birth to her baby.
Her face looks the same as it did before she became a mother. Nice glasses!
Similar Style
This woman isn't wearing the same shirt in both of these photos, but she is wearing a similar blue button-down shirt in both.
It's interesting to see that her style hasn't changed much since becoming a mother.
Looking Good
This woman looks a bit less tanned now than she did before she had her baby.
She probably had more time to go on tropical vacations back then. Now she gets to stay home with her little one.
A Happy Face
This mom was happy before she had a baby, and she's still really happy after having a baby. She's just a happy person all around.
Happy people make great mothers.
Smiling With Her Eyes
The love that this woman feels for her new child is visible in her eyes.
This woman looks pretty much the same pre- and post-baby, but now her smile is just a bit more expressive.
For Shannon, People Are Way Nicer To Her In A Full Face
Shannon says that when she goes out and wears full makeup, people are, on the whole, extremely nice to her. She gets approached by men even when she's got her husband at her side and often receives compliments on her makeup from other women. She gets treated so well she often feels like she can say "nothing wrong."
On the other hand, she feels like an "average person" when she's wearing minimal makeup because she doesn't often get approached. Which is a relief to the introverted Shannon, but it says a lot about how we judge the way others look.
One Day, Amanda Didn't Wear Makeup To Work And Her Coworkers Alerted Her Boss
Amanda Kennedy works 14.5-hour shifts, to which she usually wears makeup. One day, she showed up without makeup and she got a host of strange reactions from her coworkers. Many asked if she was doing "okay," and she assured them she was. People got so concerned that they went behind her back to express their concerns to her boss over her well-being.
After explaining to her boss that she just wasn't wearing makeup, she said they laughed about the situation. What do you think about the way she treated was in this situation?
"The amount of times I've been approached for escorting offers is uncountable"
Ash Sab says that when she wears makeup a lot of people don't approach her, saying she's too "intimidating." She says she's been struggling with "people not taking the time to get to know me before they make assumptions based on how I'm looking" and that she's been misidentified as a night worker multiple times.
When she's not in makeup, Ash says people still seem shy around her and won't make an effort to introduce themselves. "All I know is I'm the same person in both situations. It may be just the different attitudes towards makeup," she wisely says.
Pro NBA Dancer Rachel Says Treatment There Is A "Night And Day Difference"
For Rachel Renee, a pro-NBA dancer, going without makeup means getting treated like she's "just another person." She has pleasant interactions with both men and women, and she says she rarely gets hit on when she's bare-faced.
However, when she's wearing makeup, Rachel's had close female friends say she comes off as "intimidating." On the romantic side too her life gets lively—Rachel says she often skips lines at clubs, gets marketing job offers, and "rich men and athletes take me on luxurious dates." She even experimented by going on a date bare-faced—and never got a call back.
Emily's Had Her Share Of Struggles In Professional Environments
Emily Marsico says that's it's never been easy for her to blend in with the crowd while wearing makeup. She's been approached on the street by men, gotten messages flooding her inbox when she posts a photo, and has even had men at work and men with partners make advances on her.
She thinks that when she's not wearing makeup, women are generally friendlier toward her, and men treat her more as a friend. Even though these two sides of her life are hard to reconcile with each other, Emily says she finds personal growth and value in wearing and not wearing makeup.
Dawn Rarely Gets Dressed Up Because She Doesn't Enjoy The Added Attention It Brings
Dawn prefers her makeup-free self, not because of how she looks without it, but because of how "differently" she's treated. She remembers an experience when she was in a restaurant in her work clothes and no makeup and watched as a group of men leered at a dolled-up woman because they thought her appearance gave them permission.
Dawn says, "My world is a small one and I love it that way. To suddenly get attention is uncomfortable, especially when it is unwanted, looks-based attention...And it's frustrating that I can't make myself look and feel pretty without suddenly being a target for this sort of thing."
Even Just Taking Her Lipstick Off, Sunny Gets Asked If She's "Sick"
Sunny Nguyen says she rarely wears foundation or much other makeup, but lipstick is her one go-to product. Even though it seems like going without this one little thing shouldn't change how she's treated, that's not the case.
Sunny's been asked if she's sick and been told to go put her makeup on because she "looks terrible." While, despite feeling the same, on the days she wears makeup she has been told she looks "refreshed," or people don't acknowledge her appearance. It's almost as if people expect her to dress up.
Giang Wears Makeup To Be Treated Like A Woman Instead Of A Girl
Giang Nguyen says that when she wears makeup, she tends to go on the heavier side—to look older than how she thinks she does (16). On these days, she says she turns heads, she gets approached and hit on, and she can buy alcohol without getting carded.
But she says it gets tiring when she's out without a full-face because she always gets stopped by security. "It's annoying when I hit the bar and don't want to have 5 kilograms of makeup stuff on my face," Giang says.
People Only Approach Karina To Ask What Cosmetic Work She's Had Done
Not all attention when you're wearing makeup is good—that's something Karina knows all too well. She says she rarely gets approached by men or women when she's out. And if they do approach her, it's often rude, as people ask her if she's had "lips done or any cosmetic surgery."
When she's not in makeup, people tend to think she's a teenager and ask if she's sick. Karina doesn't let it get to her, though, saying, "It's simply a fun art/pastime and you shouldn't depend on it. We’re all beautiful!"
For Khrysty, When Presenting As Female, Makeup Makes All The Difference
Khrysty Phillips says that makeup is a tool they use to present their gender identity to the world. They say that "I do get treated differently when I'm wearing makeup mainly because when I'm wearing makeup I am presenting as a woman. Otherwise in my day to day life, I present as my normal male self."
When Khrysty is presenting as female, she has had largely positive experiences where people treat her as the woman she is then. She recalls a time when she showed up to work on Halloween as a female and her coworkers made her feel as if she "fit right in."
Cierra Struggles With People Taking Her Seriously In The Workplace
Despite being the manager at the retail store she works at, Cierra says she has to deal with customers disrespecting her on the daily because of how she looks. Since she works in a fast-paced and warm environment, she doesn't wear makeup. But she finds that without it, she looks younger than her 21 years and customers treat her like a kid.
It's a different story when she has makeup on. Cierra says people are often nicer to her, men hold the door, and she receives a lot of compliments on her appearance.
Sometimes Makeup Helps Shimanti Cope With The Pain Her MS Causes Her
Makeup, for Shimanti Guha, used to be something she used to blend in by covering her freckles and other spots. She's since grown out of that self-consciousness and is comfortable in her own skin. But she still wears makeup sometimes when she's not feeling her best self.
"I have MS, and sometimes feel like my muscles are ripping me apart with tension. I feel in pain and I can't walk or talk much. Often when I feel like that, and go out, I dress up. I NEED the attention in the supermarket or the affirmation from the parking attendant that I can't get from myself."
Dana Feels Like She Can't Win Either Way
Like most of us, Dana Flecther feels conflicted about the way that people treat her when she's going with or without makeup. She says she feels like she can't win either way, and even though you can barely tell in the photo which side of her face has makeup and which doesn't, she believes it makes all the difference.
She says she's been called vain, insecure, and fake because she wears makeup. But on the flip side, she's told she doesn't care about her "image" if she doesn't. Do you think that's fair?
Panisa Finds Men "Like Her More Without Makeup"
Panisa Littleman finds that she gets more attention from men and women when she's not glammed up—because she has "some of the features that a lot of women try to replicate with makeup." She says people often approach her for skincare advice, and her partner likes her with or without makeup.
Like a lot of us, Panisa wonders if she's unapproachable with makeup on. She's tested this theory by setting her Tinder profile with both makeup and no-makeup pictures, and the no-makeup photo always gets more likes.
Laura Thinks Clothing Makes More Of A Difference In Her Public Treatment
For Laura Traveller, makeup isn't the determining factor in how she's treated in public. She feels that when she's wearing "tight/revealing clothes," she notices a clear difference in how people treat her as opposed to when she's wearing baggy clothing. However, she says she's been treated inappropriately when wearing both.
She recalls an experience when she was wearing no makeup and casual clothing when she was stalked as she was jogging. Laura says, "People seem to think that when a woman goes out in public, it is every passerby's right to judge her looks. You can't win no matter what you do."
Despite Being 34, Krysta Gets Asked All The Time If She's In High School
Krysta Storer says she's "been told several times that she looks younger without makeup." She had an experience when she was visiting her ill mother in the hospital where a few nurses asked if she was in high school.
Despite this strange reaction to her bare face, Krysta doesn't let it stop her from having fun and experimenting with makeup. She says she enjoys "wearing it, and it makes me actually feel like an adult. Especially with the response I get when I'm not wearing it."
Holly Thinks She Acts Differently With And Without Makeup
Holly Watson thinks that not only do people treat her differently, but she thinks she behaves differently with makeup on. She wonders whether she acts stronger wearing it.
Without makeup, she feels less "suspicious" of the intentions of people approaching her, and she feels she's friendlier overall. It's interesting to note that she might be anticipating people's reactions to her appearance and acting accordingly. It's crazy to hear how makeup can create such a difference inside and out!
For Amanda, Everything Changed When She Started Getting Better At Her Makeup Skills
Sometimes it's not you, it's your makeup skills and knowledge. That's something Amanda Duese found out as she started building her makeup skills. Before, when she would wear makeup people would tell her she looked "better without." But after building her skills, she says, "I think we can all agree I look better with it on."
Whether that's true or not isn't the point, but it does raise an interesting point about the difference in reaction someone's makeup repertoire can make. I think it's important to not get discouraged or get turned off makeup entirely if you're not great at it to start—if you like doing it, you should keep playing around and having fun—who cares what anyone else thinks?
For Akshara, Her Parents Have Never Been Very Supportive
Akshara Joshi, like a lot of young women, can often have a hard time getting her parents to understand her love for makeup. She says her parents often ask her to "dial it down" when she's wearing it, but when she's not wearing it, people ask her if she's sick.
Hearing such differing opinions gives Akshara perspective. She writes: "It doesn't matter if you put makeup on or not. If you love putting on makeup every day and that makes you happy DO IT. If you find makeup is too much for you and you love staying bare face DO IT."
Even When Wearing Makeup, Hannah Often Gets Mistaken For Not Wearing Any
The fair-colored Hannah Elizabeth feels like without makeup her blonde eyelashes disappear. She'll often get people asking her "where'd your eyelashes go?" Not only that, but when she's bare-faced, she'll get the classic line of questioning if she's sick or not.
When she is wearing makeup, people often think she's not wearing any. Hannah says, "If I am wearing mascara, people generally think I'm not wearing any makeup and think my eyelashes are naturally black. You gotta be kidding me if you think my eyelashes are naturally 'very black'."
