Being pregnant is not exactly a joke to everyone.
Yet, some expecting moms hope others will get in on their latest gag — selling positive pregnancy tests online.
The trend has swept the country, with women listing positive tests on sites like Craigslist. Ads read “you could be pregnant too” or “makes a great gag gift.”
EAGER TO MAKE MONEY
“When I read it, I was like, ‘Oh wow! They really are doing it,” said *Jessica, an expecting mom from Wichita.
The idea caught the attention of the 19-year-old. Now, she has joined the dozens of women across the country that are helping other women fake a pregnancy. She sells her positive pregnancy tests for $20.
“My mom said girls can buy them, kind of like trap their boyfriend,” Jessica said. “It’s funny.”
NOT ALL ARE THRILLED
Yet, some women are not laughing at the online trend.
Ali Gouge is a Wichita mom as well. Gouge has donated breastmilk to family and friends, and they have compensated her for the contribution.
Gouge says expecting moms should never profit for a prank.
“I think that if women are using the pregnancy test to keep their relationship from leaving them or something, there’s… it obviously wasn’t meant to be,” Gouge said.
The judgement doesn’t bother Jessica, who said she’s eager to make money before her baby girl arrives in March.
THE FAKE BABY BUSINESSES
Women aren’t the only ones marketing the fake baby trend. Websites like FakeABaby.com are pushing the craze by selling pregnancy tests, fake baby bellys and sonogram pictures.
JOKE MAY DESTROY RELATIONSHIPS
However, women who purchase these gag gifts may want to think twice — they can hurt relationships, said Jo Lynn Bright, a counselor for EMPAC Inc. in Wichita.
“Chosing that one really is destructive,” Bright said. “There’s fun that’s playful and innocent. And this kind of fun? There’s no fun after that.”
“The thing then is that it breaks trust,” she continued. “I mean secrets, deception. Trust is foundational for relationships and so that can’t go for a long period of time.”
No matter what the motive, Gouge hopes women will think twice before they buy.
“Our generation of women is changing. We’re becoming more co-dependent on other people and men in particular,” she said. “We need to stand on our own two feet and be strong women.”
KAKE News contacted FakeABaby.com and Craiglist.org about the story. We have yet to hear back from them for comment. *We are not revealing Jessica’s last name due to the nature of the story.