The female body when pregnant has always been treated as something to conceal as if it isn’t going through the most beautiful experience. Much of the tendency to consciously and unconsciously enforce modesty on expectant mothers is rooted in our belief that from here on women should be solely seen as paragons of virtue and softness by being fully transformed with hardly any care for who the woman was prior to her pregnancy. Think of it as forever having the famous line used by many Guyanese parents, “Wah people gon say” whispered into your ear.
Other motivations for modesty are sometimes rooted in people’s belief that any sort of belly showing excitement could attract ‘bad eye’. In my husband’s culture (Moldovan) it is uncommon to even have baby showers or see any amount of zealous fanfare during the nine-month wait. Even the purchasing of baby clothes is discouraged.
Growing up, too, I used to hear elders in my family often discouraging pregnant women from sharing their news for fear that people’s ‘bad mind’ might fall on them causing bad luck to the pregnancy.
Rihanna’s maternity style has brought an awakening; a far cry from the standard tent dress, frumpy maternity jeans and the other slim pickings women were forced to choose from. But even while I said, “Yass!” to every new pregnancy photo shoot she did, I too had the thought of whether or not it was a good idea to constantly advertise her pregnancy for fear of ‘bad eye’. But the industry, along with the support of the patriarchy, has contributed to programming us to confine the celebration of pregnancy and motherhood to careful social guidelines. We tend to see the journey as one carefully navigated by tradition as opposed to individuality – owning what makes you, you, even as you take up the new role.
The cultural capital Rihanna has injected into her pregnancy style also seeks to agitate how we as a society have traditionally policed and controlled the bodies of women. From periods to abortions, they have all been met with control, exclusion, restriction and scorn. You can hear it in the remarks like, “She doing too much now,” which is a cue for “don’t forget to follow the rule book”.
In her belly bearing get ups and see through streetwear, Rihanna’s style is a form of resistance. It shows women everywhere that they and only they can fully understand their needs and what makes them feel like their best selves. It challenges cultural myths of what will determine a healthy and safe delivery and hopefully will motivate people to be more open about their fears and things they may be sceptical about.
It is showing that even when pregnancy and childbirth alter your life and change you, there are still fragments of the old you that remain and discarding them is doing a huge disservice to both you and your child.
If anything, her style is almost budget friendly in that she hasn’t altered her style for the nine months and can go back to wearing the same pieces. I almost don’t want her to give birth now; this was the most fashionable resistance.
