Rihanna’s sexy maternity looks receive praise – so why are fat bodies still demonised outside of pregnancy?

Fans and the fashion industry worldwide have praised Rihanna’s sexy take on maternity fashion. But would anyone with a belly like hers who dared to dress similarly receive the same appreciation?

I remember vividly the day my cousin put her hand on my belly and asked out loud with a mischievous smile: “When are you due?” Family members immediately laughed at her joke – as mocking and judging one’s physique is a national sport in all traditional South Asian households. I was just a preteen, but I quickly realised that society took only pregnant women’s bellies seriously. My chubby stomach could only be a joke.

Since then, I have worn full coverage surfer suits when I go swimming, tried to pull my stomach in as much as possible in public transport, and cannot have sex without a shirt on.

After revealing her first pregnancy in a vintage pink Chanel coat at the end of January, Rihanna has been making headlines worldwide for her maternity style. British Vogue called her looks “a celebration of body positivity”, while Glamour dubbed them “iconic”.

Once more, I felt that pop culture was teaching me that my belly, despite looking like the one most pregnant women have in their third trimester, does not have the baby bump’s mystical beauty. While my body is seen as ill and disfigured, a pregnant woman’s stomach is a divine temple worthy of naked magazine covers, pregnancy shoots and respect.

No one would dare tell a pregnant woman that she is ugly because of her belly, should spend less time being a couch potato or should kill herself. But all of the above has been said to me, because my body somehow offends them. One of the reasons behind this ambivalence is that a pregnant body has an excuse to get heavier. For the duration of the pregnancy, one is supposed to have a protuberant stomach. In pregnancy, the fat body has a life-giving purpose. It is home to a brand new, growing human.

A pregnant body is only temporary, which makes it more bearable. It’s reassuring to know that the heavier silhouette has an expiration date. Cue more trauma and body issues for all people who give birth and feel the pressure to snap back to their pre-pregnancy shape as quickly as possible. They were not themselves over the last nine months, you see.

A non-pregnant fat body like mine is also considered always in transition. My relatives will ask me “when are you going to lose weight?” each time they see me. It does not cross their mind for a second that this body might be it. To them, I must be between two diets at all times – it would not make sense for me to just exist as a fat person. Them hating my body is supposed to “help” me finally get on the right track to normalcy.

I’ve seen people with a body similar to mine look beautiful and sexy in crop tops with their bellies out and proud. Where is the extensive international praise from the fashion industry for models Enam Asiama, Lord Troy and Tess Holliday, music icon Lizzo or dancer Dexter Mayfield? Celebrities and influencers with fat bodies are the target of fatphobic abuse online, have seen their Instagram posts deleted for showing too much nudity (while thin bodies are allowed to show skin without the same issue), and are shamed and accused of “encouraging obesity” by Piers Morgan in the national press.

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It’s possible that Rihanna is receiving praise because she is wearing the same clothes as usual, but without zipping them. As if her heavier self, wrapped in couture for thin bodies, is only orbiting around the norm instead of fully questioning it.

Perhaps I’m reading too much into this. Maybe Rihanna just can’t find sexy, high-end, plus-size clothes worthy of her because they’re just not available. Apart from the offerings of fast-fashion retailers, people who wear plus-size clothes have only minimal options, a result of the industry’s fatphobia, the technical challenge of extending patterns and the higher cost of raw material.

AA Milne’s enduring icon Winnie the Pooh goes around in a crop top with his belly out, and he is the epitome of cuteness. So why should my belly be demonised, seen as an emblem of junk food and laziness that I should hide at all costs? If I were to dress with a crop top and head to my local Sainsbury’s, I would probably stop traffic and shock many pedestrians.

Could you imagine a 6ft tall, dark-skinned Indian man walking around with his chubby stomach naked for everyone to see? I’m not brave enough to try. The online abuse I receive on dating apps is enough to remind me that my body is some people’s worst nightmare. Many of Rihanna’s fans undoubtedly found her maternity looks fabulous, but they would never want a large stomach similar to hers.

The whole world is in favour of pregnant Rihanna’s temporary fatness, but it remains inherently against people who look like me.