Seeing Rihanna arrive at Louis Vuitton’s Paris Fashion this week in her denim bra top and low-slung jeans, I actually wanted to applaud.
Of course, it’s not unusual for celebs to step out in skimpy outfits, but what was unusual was her bump in between, brazenly bared for the world to see.
And I absolutely love it.
Because why shouldn’t women show off their pregnant stomachs with pride? To not only acknowledge the fact that they are expecting a child and their bodies are changing but to relish in that fact. I think more women should be doing it.
These days, women, particularly celebrities, wear whatever they want. Florence Pugh wanted to dazzle in a gorgeous pink tulle dress at the Valentino Haute Couture show in 2022 that just so happened to be see-through? She went right ahead and did just that, nipples notwithstanding.
Julia Fox constantly has us spellbound with her unconventional wardrobe choices, including a red latex number that exposed her behind.
This is exactly the way it should be. Women should be able to dress their bodies in whatever clothes they want to. The most obvious case of ‘you do you’.
Yet, that all seems to change when they fall pregnant. Of course, we still see bumps but they’re generally just in swimsuits or from funny angles, only showing part of them from a non-flattering angle.
It’s as if mums-to-be feel that they have to hide away as soon as their figure starts to shift and their baby starts to show.
As if they can’t be sexy anymore, just because they are carrying a baby. Or that, once their ultra-toned tummy has gone, their figure shouldn’t be seen again until after they’ve given birth and they’re back in their size six clothes.
It’s such a devastating state of affairs that when the female body is carrying out one of its main purposes and incredible roles, it can no longer be celebrated. Or even seen.
Which is why, throughout both of her pregnancies, I have adored how proud Rihanna has seemed of her baby bumps and how she has shown them off in all of their delicious glory. Right from the start, when she first wore that bright pink coat, opened to let us catch a glimpse of her stomach, covered only in jewels.
‘That is how it should be,’ I wanted to cry with delight. ‘This is the way women should feel comfortable to dress when they’re having a baby!’
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Since then, the 35-year-old Umbrella singer has bared her bump in a sky-blue asymmetric cut-out jumpsuit, a sparkling maxi skirt matched with a silver bra top and a see-through blue blouse with a matching bra underneath among many, many other outfits that have shown off her body at this special time in her life.
And why the heck not? She looks incredible – and she is setting such an amazing example to all of the women out there that this is how we should be feeling when we’re pregnant. Powerful, independent, strong.
I absolutely loved my bumps when I was pregnant with my two children, Theo, now five, and Immy, three. The idea that I was growing another human inside of me just blew my mind and I’d spend hours stroking the super-tight, ultra-smooth skin, while talking to my unborn babies.
My body had always been something I’d kept healthy before, something I’d looked after and taken care of. But now, it suddenly had a whole other purpose, and it felt incredibly powerful.
Whenever me and my husband Tom went for a scan or I heard the heartbeat at a midwife appointment, I’d leave reeling in the fact that I was actually growing and sustaining a whole other life inside of me.
And what shouldn’t be celebrated about that?
Sadly, I didn’t have the confidence to bare my bump as much as Rihanna does – plus, I don’t feel like my boss would have quite appreciated me turning up to work in some of her outfits.
But I still loved wearing bump-hugging dresses that showed off my new shape, or wearing tight vest tops and skinny maternity jeans. Even when one of my colleagues kept insisting I must be carrying two babies, rather than just the one, because I was so big.
I was so excited about the fact that I was going to have a baby, there was no way I was going to hide it away – just like Rhianna, I was pregnant and proud.
So come on and take a bow, Rihanna, because I love the way you dress. Especially when you are pregnant!
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