‘Birthing makeup’ trend divides women on TikTok

The decision of some women to get their makeup done before the birth of their children has yielded dozens of videos viral videos – and plenty of debate.

Some mothers appear to be getting their makeup done before the birth of their children – a decision that’s stirred lots of discussion on social media.

As reported by Fox News, on TikTok, entering the term “birthing makeup”, “labour makeup” and “delivery makeup” yields dozens of viral videos that show women applying full faces of makeup from their hospital beds while they wait for their children to enter the world.

Reality TV star and media personality Heidi Montag, 36, went a step above and hired a professional makeup artist when she prepped for the birth of her son, Ryker Pratt, in November 2022, which she documented on TikTok.

The 15-second video has been viewed more than 6.9 million times and showed Montag had a photographer present with a lighting kit while her husband, Spencer Pratt, 39, spoke into a tripod-equipped phone.

Fox News reached out to representatives of Montag for comment.

Reality TV star Heidi Montag went a step above and hired a professional makeup artist when she prepped for the 2022 birth of her son. Picture: TikTok

Thousands of TikTok users were divided about Montag’s choice to get primped and polished before birth. Picture: TikTok

Thousands of TikTok users were divided about Montag’s choice to get primped and polished before birth with some writing that it was “too much”, while others thought the moment was “iconic”.

“Cracks me up how opinionated & judge people are. You’re absolutely stunning!” one viewer wrote to Montag. “This is epic!”

“Me as a nurse walking into this and just turning around and walking out,” another TikTok user wrote, which received more than 15,600 likes.

“As a nurse, if I walked into this I’d be so happy my patient was calm, relaxed and in good spirits!” a different user countered.

Other mums have also opted to participate in the birthing makeup trend but didn’t hire a professional, instead brushing on their own foundation, concealers, smokey eyeshadows, liners and mascara.

Lae Harris, a TikTok creator with more than 57,8000 who curates shopping lists on Amazon under the name “Momma Lae”, shared a minute-long video of herself doing her own makeup.

“I did my own makeup before birthing my baby,” Harris wrote in a text overlay on the clip. "I wanted her to meet the queen in full face.”

In the comments section, Harris noted she was 8.5cm dilated when she recorded the video.

It remains one of the highest-viewed birthing makeup videos on TikTok, with more than 12.9 million users having watched the sped-up tutorial.

The thousands of responses left under Harris’ video have been overwhelmingly positive. "Gone have them birth photos lookin righttt,” one user wrote, receiving over 224,300 likes on their comments.

“First impressions are important,” another joked.

“I mean what better way to pass the time while you wait,” another TikTok commenter reasoned.

Another creator said that Harris’ video “is proof” that women “don’t do their makeup for the boys”.

Lae Harris shared a minute-long video of herself doing her own makeup. Picture: TikTok

In the comments section Harris noted she was 8.5cm dilated when she recorded the clip. Picture: TikTok

Dvtsroxii, a TikTok content creator who has more than 110,500 followers, shared a 15-second video of herself applying eyeshadow while wearing an oxygen mask.

“Throw back to the time when I did my makeup before giving birth,” she wrote in the video’s text overlay.

The brief clip has been viewed on TikTok more than 2.5 million times and generated more than 4,430 comments. Much like Harris, TikTok users have largely viewed the video favourably.

“I had a C-section with a full glam of makeup lol,” one user commented.

“I mean … besides that, doing my makeup is something relaxing for me and it distracts you a little I guess so why not,” another TikTok user wrote.

At least one TikTok user shared they prefer makeup-free birth photos.

“[I don’t know] if I’m old school,” the user wrote. “But I feel like the exhausted look in the delivery pictures just gives them a better meaning when u look back …”

A report published by Cleveland Clinic – an Ohio-based hospital and health news source – states the average duration of labour is between 12 and 24 hours for a first birth.

Subsequent births reportedly have shorter labour times that are between eight and 10 hours on average.

Some parents choose to have labour and delivery photo shoots, which are a niche documentary service that’s offered by photographers around the world.

This article originally appeared on Fox News and was reproduced with permission