When Harmony Jones was in labor with her son Nash, she opened her makeup bag and started applying foundation, eye makeup and lip liner.
Jones explained in a TikTok video that the beauty routine "helped me push through the contractions," but commenters said she was shallow and preoccupied.
“This is another level of insecure if you need makeup during labor" and “Doing your makeup for labor will always be the dumbest thing ever" were two TikTok comments, plus: “Imagine thinking you’re better because you did your labor unmedicated, be f****** for real."
Jones answered in a TikTok video with more than 7 million views: “Imagine talking s*** to a woman for wearing makeup during labor but it’s how she got through it unmedicated."
In one video, Jones bounces on a birthing ball with her fiancé Calvin by her side. “Your makeup is looking really good,” said Calvin, comforting his partner. “I’m sorry to see how much pain you’re in.”
Some TikTok admirers approved of Jones' handiwork, writing, "Now THIS is queen behavior" and "Normalize letting women go through labor how it best suits them."
For Jones, a 29-year-old makeup artist in San Diego, California and the daughter of an artist, makeup and painting are creative outlets.
"I got into makeup while pregnant with my 10-year-old son Elijah and thought, 'I can do this'" as a career, Jones tells TODAY.com.
After a "rough" pregnancy during which Jones was "constantly sick" and rarely wore makeup, looking cute for Nash's birth was a treat.
Jones says she was “determined to finish my makeup” before the doctor broke her water. She delivered her son an hour later.
“I wasn’t in pain for hours and hours — but it wasn’t easy,” says Jones.
According to Jones, her makeup routine didn’t rattle the nurses. “One said I was ‘badass,’” she says.
It was the second time that Jones glammed up for birth.
When laboring with a surrogate baby in 2019, Jones filmed a video of herself applying makeup. "I was trying to pass the time," she says. It helped, so Jones decided to do it again.
"Sometimes you want to feel good about yourself, whether it's doing your hair or makeup or how you dress," she says. "Everyone expresses themselves differently."
According to Jones, there is nothing shameful about wanting to look your best for an important day.
"Moms are often shamed for having positive birth experiences but I received comments from people who said, 'Thank you for giving me hope that my labor won't be terrible,'" says Jones. "That's all I can hope for when I share (my life) online."