articles
China Elevator Stories
Wearing Radiation-Proof Maternity Clothes to Get a Seat on the Subway in Shenzhen
Radiation-proof maternity clothes are common in China.
08/04/2014
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
One weekend after I find out that I’m pregnant, a Chinese friend takes me shopping to find more comfortable clothes for my pregnancy.
When we finish shopping and eat lunch, she says, “You should buy radiation-proof clothes. These are specially made for pregnant women. If you wear a radiation-proof maternity dress, people will offer you their seat on the subway because they’ll realize you’re pregnant.”
It will take a few more months before strangers can tell that I’m pregnant. Meanwhile, I have to take the overcrowded Shenzhen subway daily to get to and from work. Later that week, I look up radiation-proof clothes on China’s popular online shopping platform, Taobao.
Taking the subway in China during rush hour can be an uncomfortable experience—especially if you’re dealing with early pregnancy symptoms like exhaustion, general weakness, and nausea. Although called “morning sickness,” nausea can last all day. For me, it’s often worst on the way home from work. Maybe it’s because I’m exhausted, stressed by the sheer mass of people getting on and off, or overwhelmed by the many different smells.
When I browse Taobao for the clothes my friend mentioned, almost all of them are pink. The dresses look like they’re made for a little girl, not a grown woman. I cringe at the thought of wearing something that makes me look “cute” instead of mature. Eventually, I find a simple dark grey dress and decide to give it a try, hoping it will help me secure a seat on the overcrowded Shenzhen subway.
After receiving the dress, I wear it on different occasions to see if anyone offers me a seat. I also start paying more attention to other women wearing similar clothes, trying to observe if they get offered seats. Some aren’t visibly pregnant yet but still receive seats.
Unfortunately, my tactics don’t seem to work. Maybe my dress is too plain, or perhaps I need to wear a long-sleeved shirt underneath, as other pregnant women here do.
Nobody offers me a seat. I assume it’s either because I’m not wearing the dress correctly or because people don’t associate a foreigner in such a dress with pregnancy.
Maybe it’s time to look up fake baby bumps online?
Have you ever been desperate to get a seat on the subway as a pregnant woman?