Erin Napier was asked if she's pregnant. 'It’s rude to ask this of any woman,' she responded. Experts agree.
Erin Napier just shut down another pregnancy rumor.
On Wednesday, the HGTV star shared a photo from the Osprey Kids launch, a non-profit organization working to decrease children's screen time.
Most of the comments were from people sharing various opinions related to how social media usage is impacting the youth.
But one user had a different topic in mind, asking, "Erin are you expecting again?"
Napier promptly responded, "Nope, and it's rude to ask this of any woman."
This is not the first time Napier has had to address pregnancy speculation. In December, the mom of two had to set the record straight after fans began guessing she was pregnant after she refused to drink a cup of coffee during an episode of Home Town.
And she's far from the only celebrity who has had to dispel pregnancy rumors: Hailey Bieber, Issa Rae and Zendaya are just a few of many public figures who seem to be constantly facing such conjecture.
But is this line of questioning problematic? And if so, why?
Why asking about pregnancy isn't OK
Unsolicited comments about another person's body can be harmful to their self-image, and inquiring about someone's pregnancy status can open up a host of weight-related insecurities.
"Our personal perception of our body image, for better or for worse, can be negatively impacted when asked if we are pregnant, especially when we are not," Dr. Sherry Ross, an OB/GYN and the author of She-ology, previously told Yahoo. Additionally, assuming that any fluctuation in weight is due to pregnancy can further negative narratives around body size.
"Assuming an obese woman is pregnant reinforces critical stereotypes about overweight people," said Ross.
Added Virgie Tovar, body-positive influencer and author, “When it comes to asking a woman whether she's pregnant, there's a dimension of fatphobia involved. The real question is: 'Is your body temporarily enlarged beyond your control or are you fat?' Asking someone if they're pregnant has long been a childish way of delivering a veiled insult that can easily be denied as innocent inquiry. It's not innocent, because the insult delivery relies on the bigoted belief that being a higher weight person is negative and undesirable.”
But the possibility of harm in asking goes even beyond body image: Those actively trying to conceive without success may be at a greater risk for mental health-related issues, which can be exacerbated by prying questions and comments regarding their pregnancy status.
"Infertility can cause anxiety, stress, depression and feelings of hopelessness for a woman," said Ross.
In Napier's case, the original commenter did apologize for the query, but some fans still found the HGTV star's response to be unnecessarily rude.
"I love you to bits, but your response was rather curt and hurtful. I'm sure you didn't mean it to come off as such, but I'm just hoping that the person who asked that isn't hurt. Love you much!" shared one user.
Still others stood up for Napier's response.
"It is rude though, even if it isn't meant that way," noted one commenter. "We women have so much pressure on us to look perfect all of the time, and it should just be logical to assume not to ask, especially after we've already had children. It changes our bodies and we know it and asking makes us feel unattractive & insecure. Erin is human and people need to remember she has human feelings."
It's why, even if someone is pregnant, risking that you'll spill the beans before they're ready to share the news themselves may ruin their special moment.
"It's a personal decision to announce to others that you are pregnant," Ross said, adding that it should be up to the individual — not the internet — to decide how and when they want to share.
"It should be announced on your terms and your terms only," she said.
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