5 times Kareena Kapoor normalised being pregnant

It only takes a pregnancy announcement for people to start speculating about a woman's availability for work. It's a very subtle undermining of women's productivity and is often used to justify perceptions of men's superiority in the professional sphere.

Thankfully, we have women like Kareena Kapoor who are challenging these assumptions.

The Ki and Ka star may have enjoyed limited success in shattering gender stereotypes with her last film, but with her real-life choices in managing her career and public appearances during her pregnancy, she shows how women can't let society define what they can and can't do.

Here's 5 ways she's proved how her pregnancy is irrelevant to her work and really none of anyone's business, unless you want to take notes for maternity style!

1) That time she declared — once and for all — that pregnancy isn't the death of her career...

"I'm pregnant, not a corpse... [and] it's not a national casualty," Kareena famously said to Hindustan Times, soon after her husband Saif Ali Khan announced the impending arrival of their first child.

In response to rumours of "taking a break" and "rushing work", Kareena said, "I’m pregnant, not a corpse. And what maternity break? It’s the most normal thing on earth to produce a child. It is high time the media back off, and stop treating me any different than I ever was. Anybody who is bothered shouldn’t work with me… but my work goes on as is, like always. Stop making it a national casualty,” she told Hindustan Times.

2) ...and she's not hiding no baby bump.

At a later event, Kareena said she was proud to show off her baby bump.

"Whichever role I do, I am not going to hide anything. I am very proud in the phase I am right now and talking about the film, we will have to figure the dates and how I feel”.

3) Like, she totally owned her part as showstopper for Sabyasachi

Far from covering her baby bump, Kareena chose to face a hundred cameras, as she walked the runway for Sabyasachi Mukherjee at Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2016. Her photograph became one of the evocative images to come from the event, and she revealed, "For me, it’s quite an emotional moment as this was the first time we (she and her future child) took the ramp together. It was a moment to cherish... it was historical."

4) She endorsed brands left, right and centre because... why shouldn't she?

According to Hindustan Times, Kareena had over 18 brand endorsements, for which she was to shoot and do promotions. And when someone tried to shame her for working too hard (because that could be bad for the baby), she shot back with an apt response:

“How do you know that I am not taking rest? I work in the days; I take complete rest in the nights. I think it’s a myth that you should take rest in pregnancy”.

5) She didn't drop out of any professional commitments

When Kareena announced that she is pregnant, there were reports that she might opt out of Veere Di Wedding. However, the producers of the film issued a statement saying that Kareena will now flaunt her baby bump in the film.

"Bebo is a thorough professional and she will start shoot of the film in August. Much like the spirit of our film, which celebrates the modern girl, Kareena is going on with her work and life as usual. We are proud to have her (in the film)," producer Rhea Kapoor told Press Trust of India.