Is an underwear shoot the ultimate way to reveal your pregnancy?

Whether you’re a celebrity or average Joe, announcing your pregnancy on social media is a given these days.

But how do you go about it? Do you simply update your Facebook status? Upload a grainy bump shot? Or go the whole way and splash out on a nude maternity shoot?

For most famous women, the underwear shoot has become the look du jour. Last night, Khloe Kardashian revealed she was expecting in a perfectly advertised Calvin Klein bra.

Back in February, Beyonce also announced she would be welcoming twins in a veiled Instagram depicting the singer surrounded by flowers and dressed in Agent Provocateur lingerie.

Yet they’re far from the only ones. Actress Olivia Wilde posed next to her son in simple black underwear to show off her ever-growing bump. Similarly, Ciara uploaded a shot of her (and her stomach) in Calvin Kleins.

Unlike Beyonce, these celebrities didn’t shell out on a professional photographer. Their candid reveal posts were probably taken by their husbands on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Yet the likes of Khloe and Beyonce aren’t alone in the semi-naked trend. Victoria’s Secret Angels Candice Swanepoel and Doutzen Kroes both showed off their fuller figures (with Doutzen showing off way more than just her stomach).

In an increasingly feminist world, is it the need to show the realities of motherhood that drives celebrities to show off their altered bodies? Or is it the need to feel acceptance from other women?

After all, celebrities aren’t immune to the negative effects of social media. And no pregnant woman is going to take a fat comment lightly.

Beyonce’s image is particularly interesting. She didn’t simply reveal her pregnancy but did so through the veil of art history. Where other models, actresses and singers are happy to show a more realistic vision, Beyonce – who has become increasingly political over the past two years – is sending a strong message through her carefully directed shot.

References to both the Virgin Mary and the goddess Venus can be seen. Both are strong signifiers of fertility and womanhood. In choosing to adopt certain aspects of two recognisable figures, Bey is telling all expectant mothers to never be apologetic, to be proud of your pregnancy and to fully embrace that bump.

Now that’s a maternity concept we can get behind.

12 celebrities who have bared their baby bumps on social media

A throwback to Beyonce’s best maternity looks