Period simulators gave cis-gendered men a painful glimpse of what women go through on a monthly basis. But what about going through life with an actual human growing in their belly?
That’s where the watermelon challenge comes in.
TikTok’s watermelon challenge is a simple concept, where dads-to-be strap watermelons, weighing somewhere around 14 pounds, onto their bellies in order to simulate what it’s like for pregnant moms. Bonus point for taping mangos onto the chest because #lactation.
The results are both hilarious and illuminating.
Nurse/mom Hannah Jean, currently 32 weeks pregnant, and her husband recently tried out the trend. The couple is first seen testing out different lemon sizes to make sure their baby bellies will match.
Then it’s pure comedy as Hannah’s husband struggles to pick things up off the floors, engage in regular household chores, put on his shoes, even getting in and out of bed.
Fifteen minutes in, he is almost completely wiped out.
Watch:
@hannahjeanrn Just wanted the hubs to walk ~15 mins in my shoes. 🤣❤️ #pregnantlife #32weekspregnant #pregnancy #thirdtrimesterbelike #thirdtrimesterproblems #husbandandwife #husbandtok #couplecomedy #coupletok #maternity #maternity #watermelonchallenge #husbandwatermelonchallenge #husbandwatermelon #fyp #fypシ #trending #challenge #tiktok ♬ original sound – HannahjeanRN
Thousands of moms who watched along couldn’t contain their schadenfreude.
One wrote, “That’s just the physical part, not the heartburn, soreness or not being able to breathe lol.” To which Hannah mischievously replied “I’m trying to find ways to simulate the rest.”
“He should’ve tried to get in and out of his vehicle and drive down the block,” another person added, right before commending Hannah’s hubby as a “trooper.”
Such a trooper, in fact, that he agreed to a part two—this time pitifully attempting to shave his legs and, ahem, his nether regions. All to no avail.
@hannahjeanrn Replying to @Deeleebra Ya’ll wanted a part ✌🏼. Let’s gooooo. 🤣 #pregnancytok #husbandandwife #watermelonchallenge #maternity #coupletok #couplecomedy #maternity #couplecomedy #thirdtrimesterproblems #thirdtrimesterbelike #32weekspregnant #coupletok #foryoupage #fyp #pregnancyhumor #watermelonbaby #couplesoftiktok #trending #capcut #tiktok ♬ Boogie Shoes – KC & The Sunshine Band
This time he does try to get in and out of the car, which, to no woman’s surprise, is no easy task. There’s getting in the car, plus dealing with the steering wheel being far away, PLUS there be nowhere comfortable to actually strap on a seatbelt.
And then on a nice, relaxing walk, one of his mangoes just completely falls out. Ah, motherhood.
Challenges like these offer lighthearted entertainment to be sure, but it also makes one wonder how different the world might be if everyone truly understood, on a visceral level, the physical challenges that women go through. Generous maternity leave might be a necessary requirement, and not just a coveted luxury. Perhaps there would be more abortion freedoms. Who knows.
Either way, this has got to be one of the best ways for couples to bond during pregnancy. Not to mention the most entertaining.