There are a few life moments that are breathtaking and time-freezing worthy, those moments you want to photograph and hang on a wall so you can see it everyday. The birth of a child, that moment their shrieking screams pierce the stillness in the air, breaking the tension in the birthing room, that moment this new life is placed in the arms of a loving, eager mother, the moment of love when two strangers, meet for the first time and fall instantly in love, because even though they are just meeting for the first time, they have known each other, felt each other and communicated with themselves for the past 36+weeks and now, skin to skin, breathing the same air, a child, her child is born. This has to be the most iconic moment in the history of iconic moments.
Childbirth is usually an intimate moment for the new mother and her unborn child. They’ve both spent the past 36+weeks together, bonding and growing into each other. The bond between a mother and her child begins way before the child is born, they’ve had such bonding experiences like the child feeling the vibrations of it’s mother’s roaring laughter and the mother feeling the gentle but firm kick of her unborn child.
For most women, getting pregnant and the birthing process are intimate experiences
that strips them down to their most vulnerable state.
The changes in their body and the screams of pain mixed with tears, brings them to their most vulnerable state that sometimes, they want to share these moments with their families alone while others enjoy this journey so much, they want the world to experience it with them. Rihanna is one for sharing with the world as she has done in the past two decades. Bad Gal Riri has shared herself – her music, her talent, her cosmetics, her business acumen, her awesomeness, with the world.
She has been one for the spotlights, taking center stage and holding the world to a stop, every time she released an album. What’s more, she sometimes leaves us begging for more, going on breaks, only Rihanna can go on. As someone who has never followed the script, birthing was no different and just like she has always done, she shared her journey with us, from pregnancy to childbirth.
The Fenty Beauty owner announced her first pregnancy in photographs with her partner in Harlem, New York, wearing a pink jacket showing off her beautifully forming belly bump in January of 2022. Going on to every other event after that, Bad Gal Riri’s bump was in our faces, everywhere she was, owning the pregnancy journey and embodying the changes in her body so beautifully you’d almost want to be pregnant too.
Having gracefully carried and birthed her first child in view of the world, you would expect the same public announcement for her second child and even though it was ‘unplanned’, according to the ‘Diamonds’ singer, it was a more dramatic and more public announcement kind of thing. Infront of over 67,000 fans, Rihanna’s second bump was revealed during her performance at the Super Bowl LVII Halftime show. Explaining that it was an unplanned announcement, in an interview, Rihanna said “My jumper couldn’t zip up-no one knew I was pregnant-I just told my stylist, ‘Make sure it’s stretchy’. The zip, it just stopped right there, so it had to be what it had to be’.
Being a fashion girlie, Rihanna has always stepped out looking like she walked out of a fashion magazine and pregnancy was not about to dial that down. Every outfit revealed her bump and that is the power move we love to see. Revolting the status quo of how pregnant women should look, Rihanna in an interview with Vogue said, “My body is doing incredible things right now, and I’m not going to be ashamed of that. This time should feel celebratory. Because why should you be hiding your pregnancy?”
She’s never tried to fit into the traditional mould of motherhood. From rocking crop tops with a baby bump to showing up at major events while pregnant, she’s made it clear, being a mom doesn’t mean losing yourself. Instead, she’s proving that you can be a powerhouse in both your career and your personal life. Making her stand on the subject clear, she followed up in an interview with People, “I’m enjoying not having to worry about covering up my tummy”.
Rihanna continues to break the norm and curate her path, sharing with us along the way every bit of the moments that matter to her. On International Women’s Day 2025, Rihanna did what only she could—she turned one of the most intimate moments of her life into a cultural statement. It wasn’t through music, a red carpet look, or a new Fenty launch, but a deeper, more personal statement piece, an excerpt on her motherhood journey. The Fenty Beauty founder shared never-before-seen photos from the labour rooms where she gave birth to her sons, RZA Athelston Myers and Riot Rose Myers.
The images were raw, beautiful, and uniquely Rihanna. One showed her in layers of gold and pearl necklaces as she welcomed her first son, RZA Athelston Myers, in May 2022, while the other, taken in August 2023, captured her holding her newborn Riot Rose, draped in a camouflage jacket, wearing a black tank top and pink Celine sunglasses. And ofcourse she made it a timeline, captioning these beautifully captured moments with the lines… “And yes, I gave birth in pearls and sunglasses… don’t ask, a lot was happening.”
There’s something poetic about Rihanna’s journey into motherhood. She has always been a disruptor, a rule-breaker, someone who refuses to conform to expectations. So it makes perfect sense that she would redefine what it means to be pregnant, what it means to give birth, and what it means to be a mother.
When people talk about Rihanna giving birth in pearls and sunglasses, they might see it as a moment of pure celebrity extravagance. But it was more than that. It was a quiet act of defiance, a declaration that even in the most vulnerable, life-changing moments, she would still be herself.
