Maternity Fashion: Rihanna and her Bump

Following seven months pregnant Demi Moore’s iconic appearance on the August 1991 cover of Vanity Fair, the world of maternity clothing has begun to evolve. Stigma that once determined maternity clothes to be drab, untrendy, and generally unappealing is on its way to becoming obsolete. Rihanna, talented musician, fearless business-woman, and fashion icon, is at the forefront of voices attempting to encourage women to embrace their pregnant bodies. Now a pregnancy powerhouse herself, the star is making moves to uplift and redefine what it means to be stylish with a baby bump.

Women have been fighting stigma surrounding maternity for decades, especially when it comes to debates such as postpartum depression and maternity leave— issues that are simply not talked about enough, although they are not the subject of this article. Body dysmorphia is also one of these issues, and one that can be combated through fashion.

Body positivity is a point of contention for a lot of people. This struggle is only exacerbated for pregnant women, as the societal norms and beauty standards often reject the appearances of pregnant bodies as a representation of objective beauty (which is complete and utter bullshit, but again, not the point). The subconscious shame that is felt by some women as their bodies rapidly change and grow in new and sometimes scary ways is the primary culprit when it comes to feeling the need to cover up. Maternity fashion reflects this; the first thing that pops up on Google when typing “maternity clothes” into the search bar is a series of long, stretchy-looking, dare I say boring?, tunics, oversized T-shirts, and airy dresses, all finding commonality through their modesty and gross lack of variety.

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Thus, fashion for pregnant women is largely limited to these one dimensional copy-paste styles that serve to provide nothing except for comfort. Don’t get me wrong, comfort is essential when it comes to maternity, and sometimes jeans with an elastic waistband are the move. However, comfort does not need to come at the price of fashionability or options.

While there are brands today that have updated maternity lines consisting of trendier, more personalized options (such as ASOS, a British fast fashion brand), there is still a lack of options for women who desire a bolder way to flaunt their bumps— and part of this is due to a lack of representation of this in media.

This is where our girl Riri comes in. Following her first maternity shoot in January, Rihanna has sported a number of iconic looks that showcase her new bump. Appearing on the May 2022 cover of Vogue Magazine, the Internet has had mixed reactions to Rihanna’s bump-centered style.

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Some have called her looks indecent, while others applaud her for continuing to dress up throughout the pregnancy. She told Vogue that she is “hoping that we were able to redefine what’s considered ‘decent’ for pregnant women. My body is doing incredible things right now, and I’m not going to be ashamed of that. This time should feel celebratory. Because why should you be hiding your pregnancy?” (Vogue).

Countering traditional notions of what maternity clothing should be, Rihanna has shown up to recent events adorned in notable pieces such as the iconic sheer Dior cocktail dress and other styles that feature a bare-midriff, showing off her bump in a not-so-hard-to-notice way. She is the epitome of what pregnancy fashion should look like: as Vogue put it, “if it’s not something she would have worn before she was pregnant, then it’s not something she’s going to wear now” (Vogue). Preventing the sacrifice of personal style during pregnancy is the key to reducing stigma. If we are teaching women that they have to hide their stomachs as they swell with literal life, it would be hypocritical to try to preach body positivity simultaneously. 

What Rihanna’s doing with her “bump-forward” fashion is important; however, it should not be necessary. You would think in 2022 it would be more commonplace for women to show off their bumps in daily life, and for the maternity fashion industry to provide affordable options for them to do so (because at the end of the day, not all of us have a personal stylist). But alas, we are not quite there yet. Rihanna’s outspoken style is the first step to get there; showing women that they should be proud of their bodies, and encouraging them to embrace and maintain their style throughout pregnancy is integral to building confidence and normativity surrounding  “bump-forward” maternity styles. 

While women may not be donning the same bralette-and-brief styles in their daily lives, creating more variety in the maternity fashion world can only benefit women’s mental health and society’s expectations about how women should dress. If you take one thing from this article, please let it be the motto: “If Rihanna can do it, I can too!”

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