Stunning pregnant model poses in incredible body paint for photo shoot

Pregnancy photo shoots just got a major upgrade. A model who goes by MeccaThaModel on Instagram partnered with photographer Ricky Codio to shoot herself naked, pregnant, and covered in body paint, with a ponytail that goes down to her feet. You pretty much just have to see this gorgeousness for yourself.

The tribal-inspired look was shot at MQ Factory in Philadelphia. It’s being shared widely on Instagram, and Mecca and Codio have racked up hundreds of supportive comments. Fans wrote in to congratulate Mecca alongside her friends, who can’t wait to welcome the baby. “Aww congrats Mecc i guess this the proof i needed to see that ur no longer that 37th st baby that we all loved anymore…ur a mommy having a baby,” said Instagram user ziznpapi. Added a fan who goes by arewamzlovel: “I love this…. This is truly the best maternity photo shoot I have the pleasure of seeing.”

Yahoo Beauty spoke with Codio to learn the inspiration behind the photo shoot. “I specialize in maternity photo shoots, and love integrating unique and creative looks, paints, and props into my work,” Codio tells Yahoo Beauty. “With this latest shoot, I wanted to play on the sacredness of pregnancy within the South Africa tribal culture. The white paint signifies hope, purity, and light — things that many of us already associate with bringing a new baby into the world.”

Local Philadelphia artist Ivben Taqiy took three hours to bring the design to life, notes Codio. Hair and makeup also took about three hours, and Codio says the team was all “pretty thrilled with the outcome.”

Mecca may have drawn inspiration from the recent dueling body-paint photo shoots by Blac Chyna and Kim Kardashian. Earlier in 2017, Chyna posed in all-bronze makeup and white tribal paint. The look came suspiciously soon after Kardashian posed in white striped body paint. “I did a desert photo shoot just knowing I was trying to get pregnant soon and wanted to savor this moment! We went out to the desert and just had fun and shot this so fast,” explained Kardashian. Of course, the award for the most famous Kardashian pregnancy shoot goes out to Kourtney Kardashian, who posed for DuJour in nothing but a feather chest piece.

These shoots may be glam, but the true baby body paint queen just might be Mariah Carey. Who could forget the time she painted “dem babies” on her belly when she was carrying her twins back in 2011? Pregnancy photo shoots may have gotten a big upgrade since then, but never forget the original: finger-painting all over your belly.

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