Images that split the nation - Barbara Mollay

Nina Proll

Demi Moore was the first to do it (Vanity Fair, 1991) and Britney Spears did it just as well in 2006. Celebrity mothers-to-be have shown an increasing tendency to show off their nude pregnant bodies on the covers of popular glossy magazines. And now, ta-da, we also have an Austrian actress taking inspiration from the likes of the aforementioned. Okay, tastes may vary and certain things that some people may find brave, interesting or fascinating others find equally irritating and disturbing. And this is exactly what happened to Nina Proll´s nude pregnancy photos. Is it a case of the aesthetic meets embarrassment or “I was pregnant and in need of the money“. 

What has been overtly criticised about these pictures it not the fact (and this has to be explicitly stated here) that she is nude or pregnant or both but that she is selling herself, her body and her baby-to-be.  

Nina never made it in Germany but is an established actress in Austria and seen in numerous TV and cinema productions (Keinohrhasen featuring Till Schweiger is the most recent) as well as musicals (some of you may have heard of Barbarella). Anyway, due to her pregnancy our infamous ADABEI pages (Editor’s note: Adabei are Kronen Zeitung’s society pages) suddenly had no time for her – it will remain a mystery whether this was due to her own wish or not. And then, out of the blue, these photos pop up: Nude Nina Proll and her fully dressed boyfriend on the cover of an Austrian glossy magazine. Strange, isn’t it? 

To claim that the above was neatly planned would go beyond mere speculation. But - to me - this really looks like a well done PR campaign. First there are the nude pregnancy photos, and then there will be the first baby picture sold for half a fortune to various newspapers and magazines. Good for her if that is what she wants but is it really necessary to showcase your most intimate moments and neatly spread them in front of a huge audience? Britney did the same and we all know where she is at the moment…