Badgalriri and The Evolution of Pregnancy Dressing
The policing of women's bodies through their clothes
I have exciting news to share: You can now read Fashion Tingz in the new Substack app for iPhone!
The Substack app is currently available for iOS. If you don’t have an Apple device, you can join the Android waitlist here.
Maternity fashion doesn’t usually conjure images of designer clothing and daring styles, but leave it to none other than Badgalriri to shake things up and use her stylish streetwear credentials to adorn her baby bump with vintage Jean Paul Gautier cardigans and shimmering pieces from The Attico - not forgetting the Christian Lacroix chains and jewellery that were present in the paparazzi style pregnancy announcement pictures that saw her strolling around a snowy New York with her beau, A$AP Rocky.
Rihanna - along with other high profile female celebrities such as Emily Ratajkowski, Shay Mitchell and Jodie Turner-Smith - have emphasised body confidence and owning your image while being pregnant, they are embracing an important stage in a woman’s life and redefining maternity dressing for the better. Isn’t it time women reclaim the narrative, and take back ownership of their bodies at this crucial life stage?
The rise of celebrity pregnancy style
Rihanna was a street style star and fashion maven to begin with, but her pregnancy style is taking maternity fashion to a whole new level. Whether shes wearing a WARDROBE.NYC x Carhartt cropped bomber jacket with a custom Jacque Aiche gold bra costing $36k, or a custom Alaïa red leather coat with Amina Muaddi "Giorgia" sandals, not to mention the Gucci by Tom Ford blue fur coat look paired with a micro-mini skirt (my personal favourite), her out-there ensembles are a celebration of body positivity and glamour as she transitions into this next chapter of her life.
Since her pregnancy announcement, anytime RiRi is seen out and about her growing belly is out there for the world to see - why hasn’t this been the case for expectant mothers before now?
“I’m really pushing into the idea of sexy,” says Ms Fenty. “When you get pregnant, society tends to make it feel like you hide […] you’re sexy and that you’re not sexy right now [but] you’ll get back there and I don’t believe in that shit.”
As Rihanna wins praise from those inside and outside the walls of fashion for rejecting traditional maternity wear - instead choosing to embrace her bump as something to be celebrated and seen - other celebrities like Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell are taking note. Mitchell, who is expecting her second child with partner Matte Babel, headed to Drake’s Super Bowl LVI after party wearing a twisted crop top with low-slung jeans as she put her jewel-covered baby bump on full display. Will celebrities start to embrace their changing pregnant physiques, and stylistically dress their growing bumps rather than trying to hide them?
Maternity wear for the better
So far since announcing her pregnancy, all of Riri’s outfits have contradicted typical maternity wear offerings. Instead of bland and boring baggy attire, by challenging perceptions of pregnancy through her fashion choices Rihanna is embracing the concept of maternity wear welcoming it as a style challenge rather than a hindrance. Since her pregnancy announcement she’s managed to push the boundaries of self-expression into new territory, challenging the perception of how women should dress and behave at this pivotal life stage.
If Riri's fits are anything to go by, we are entering a new era of maternity wear where dressing for yourself can and should be embraced.
Pop culture and mainstream media's obsession with stick thin female bodies may be part of the reason why evolving female figures and growing baby bumps are often hidden from view, rather than being thought of as worthy of celebration and praise - which is exactly the attitude we should be taking towards them - ingrained expectations of maternity dress continue to play into harmful narratives. There’s clearly a need for bump-friendly fashion that speaks to this life-changing moment in time for women, and if wearing sheer lingerie and patent black heels while pregnant is any indicator, expectant mothers want to be seen as well as heard.
Un-surrendering a sense of self
When pregnant, making small tweaks to a woman’s personal style - instead of changing it completely for bump-friendly (often boring) fashion - can empower women to take ownership of their bodies while not having to surrender their sense of self. By making small tweaks to their wardrobes instead of giving themselves over to the endless ovrsized maternity fashion that's on offer, women like Rihanna are still able to feel like themselves while showing maternity style need not be what we think it is, and what we’ve come to know it as.
Isn’t feeling comfortable in your own skin, and being confident in your wardrobe choices as your body changes, worth all the Gucci scarves and Louis Vuitton bags money can buy?
Riri makes a great case for making a fashion moment out of her bump because it won't be there forever - why not show it off while she can? What’s wrong with dressing in leathers and cut-out looks that show off the wonders of the female body? By staying true to herself and her sense of style, Rihanna is showing how expectant and new mothers can experiment with trends and wear things they may have not thought to wear before. There’s no longer a need for women's style to fade dismally into the background while being pregnant, they can continue to thrive and make daring sartorial choices just as they always have done. After all, there are no rules in fashion - and Badgalriri is a shining example of that.
What do you think of maternity fashion? How does your attitude towards fashion change at different stages in your life, as your body evolves and develops?
Share this post, feel free to comment, and subscribe to Fashion Tingz to keep the conversation going.