Rihanna Has Sparked A Conversation Around “Beauty Standards” During Pregnancy After Straying Away From Stereotypical “Maternity Clothes” And She’s Receiving Tons Of Praise From Fans

Last month, Rihanna broke the internet after announcing that she was pregnant with her and boyfriend A$AP Rocky’s first child.

The couple revealed they were expecting with a joint photo shoot in New York on Jan. 31, which saw Rihanna’s floor-length coat unbuttoned to reveal her baby bump covered in nothing but jewels.

Over the next few weeks, the singer continued to make a bunch of public appearances with her bump on display, including on the red carpet at the Fenty Beauty Universe Event in Los Angeles last Friday.

During the night, Rihanna — who wore a shredded green backless top — opened up about embracing her body during pregnancy, after previously feeling insecure over exposing her stomach.

“Usually when I’m on the red carpet, my tummy’s a little big. It’s a problem,” she told Terri Seymour of her insecurities before pregnancy.

Terri replied jokingly, “Now you don’t have to hide it,” to which Rihanna responded, “Crop top season, let it all out.”

Opting for tighter and more revealing outfits, Rihanna has continually ensured that her bump — which she’s also often accessorized — is on display.

And while Rihanna isn’t the first celebrity to openly embrace her baby bump during pregnancy, fans have taken to social media to praise her “liberating” approach.

“Rihanna’s maternity outfits are FUCKING FIRE,” one fan added, alongside four photos of her various fashionable looks. “Rihanna is SLAYING with her baby bump,” read another tweet.

Many fans have even credited the Fenty Beauty founder with “inspiring” people, pregnant or otherwise, to embrace their bodies “at all stages.”

And several users went so far as to honor Rihanna for “redefining maternity fashion” as a result of her “bold” and “daring” clothing choices.

But, while Rihanna’s supposed new style has been receiving tons of praise, some fans pointed out that her looks are no different to those she’s worn throughout her career.

Fans of the star will know that as a renowned style icon and fashion industry mogul, Rihanna has long been dressing in revealing and striking outfits.

However, it seems that Rihanna is now using her striking approach to fashion to subvert the expectations of traditional pregnancy style.

And while it may seem obvious that pregnant people are free to wear whatever they wish, it’s pretty rare for celebrities to expose their baby bumps in the public eye.

In fact, historically, many stars making public appearances during pregnancy have taken to the red carpet in longer dresses and looser fits, often avoiding showing their bumps at all.

Kim Kardashian’s famous 2013 Met Gala dress, Beyonce’s one-shouldered gown at the 2011 MTV VMAs, and Jennifer Lawrence’s recent floor-length number at the Don’t Look Up premiere are just a few examples of outfits that — while certainly embracing the form of the pregnant body — have covered baby bumps entirely from view on the red carpet.

But with Rihanna doing things differently and refusing to hide her bump, fans have praised her for “setting trends” and reworking the current beauty standards in play for pregnant people — which is only to be expected, given that she’s previously enlisted several pregnant models to walk in her Savage X Fenty fashion show.

Meanwhile, another celebrity who’s straying away from age-old stereotypes at the moment is Shay Mitchell, who’s expecting her second child with partner Matte Babel.

Since announcing her pregnancy, Shay has stepped out with her baby bump — also accessorized — on full display, receiving praise for her nonconforming approach.

Shay has also openly embraced parenthood in different ways. Back in 2019, following her first pregnancy, she was commended by fans for sharing a picture of herself breastfeeding her little girl.

“This is absolutely wonderful. Breastfeeding needs to be more accepted as norms of life. Bravo for putting this beautiful image out in the world,” wrote one Instagram user. “To the ppl saying cover up and put the cameras away… breastfeeding is a completely normal thing,” another echoed.