Candy Baby

I saw this photo on Pintrest. I think it's a little weird, but in Utah, this is totally normal. Your newborn baby is like the most fantastic prop that ever hit the universe. You can pose your little creature anyway you like! You're the boss after all. If the baby is sleeping, it's almost easy. Babies are weak and they don't put up much of a fight either. They can't talk, so you'll never have to hear their opinions about being your little photo prop. Now I challenge you to give birth and get your shit together fast enough to organize a photo shoot with your week old prop.

I'll be honest, this type of photo shoot didn't even occur to me when I had a newborn. I was tired, confused, sore and somewhat paranoid about the fragility of my child. My babies slept, ate, barfed, pooped and cried. When they were quite, I would do practical things like, catching up on laundry or maybe I'd take a shower. I never once thought, " Oh snap, I need to shove my newborn in a jar and fill it with candy!". It wasn't even a passing thought. I was terrified to take her to the Target portrait studio, because I knew she would scream bloody murder, or have a massive blow-out poop on the way there.

I think 50% of the population had the same newborn experience as I did. For others, the baby is just a brand new accessory to use however you see fit. I don't get it. The comments under this photo on Pintrest were all over the board and there were some VERY strong opinions. Some folks thought it was adorable and they wanted to enlarge the photo and display it above the fireplace, others were outraged. There were tons of comments that suggested that Child welfare services should be called in. The newborns parents were called into question. I was amazed at the attention this photo got. Everyday there are 20 new comments with very opposing view points. Like I said before, in Utah this is standard operating procedure, and I see it all the time. My daughters newborn picture were very simple. Like baby laying on a pretty blanket simple. I thought it made sense and honestly I was thrilled that I even achieved that. I paid my small fortune to the portrait studio and I am still really happy with the pictures. I just wanted photos that captured my baby in the baby stage. To me that was mission accomplished

I don't hate these weird baby photo sessions or the parents that orchestrate them. I totally get the idea of it. And honestly this baby in the candy jar is adorable, it's undeniable. A lot of these pictures turn out really cute. But my mind can't just see the photo, think it's cute and leave it at that. My mind wanders. I start thinking about how and why it happened in the first place. Who's idea was this? How long did it take? How many shots were taken? How much crying took place before this exact shot happened? It's when my head takes over that I begin to dislike the photo. The public response to the photo still amazes me though. I would never have guessed how polar opposite the responses would be. We are all very opinionated, especially on the Internet. I should know.