There's a certain dread that bubbles up every time a pregnant actress is set to walk the red carpet at a major award show. This year, that dread came courtesy of Scandal's Kerry Washington, who floated down the Oscars red carpet in a gorgeous lavender Jason Wu gown only to be the subject of the usual inane red carpet banter. And because celebrity commentary would implode without the term "baby bump," Giuliana Rancic and friends made full use of the term in fashion that's going to make you cringe.
If it wasn't enough to withstand the usual canned auto-responses — Kristin Cavallari chimed in with the requisite "she's glowing" compliment because if we don't refer to a pregnant woman as looking like the sun, then we're apparently doing it wrong — Rancic added the most stomach churning, secondhand embarrassment-inducing sound byte you've heard. Alright, that's pretty dramatic, but it really wasn't great.
After one of her temporary fashion bullies said "pregnant or not, she really does it for me" — as if being pregnant and wearing a gown was some sort of circus balancing act — Rancic chimed in with "Of course, her baby bump is her best accessory." Oh, barf.
Look, the phrase isn't inherently offensive, unless you're a fan of commentary that isn't so saccharine and full of insincerity that it feels like eating an entire bucket of store-bought cotton candy. It is, however, a pretty solid case for banishing the term "baby bump" for the rest of time.
