The pregnant mother and the body image of the daughter.

This paper is about the place of the pregnant maternal body in the developing body image of the daughter. Adult examples from two cases are offered to demonstrate its lingering effects on the women's perceptions of their shapes, sizes, abdomens, breasts, and buttocks. Attention is drawn to its neglect in our formulations. It is suggested that the whole exterior of the body of the female is as important to her as the outer and inner genitals, and makes a vital contribution to the final shape of her gender role identity.