Why Rihanna Is Rebelling Against Maternity Clothes
Since the day her pregnancy announcement photos dropped, Rihanna has been taking on maternity style her way. From exposing her growing bump in crop tops and belly chains to sexy sheer lingerie, the Barbadian singer keeps hitting us with one jaw-dropping look after another. If you look at her style trajectory, it’s not surprising that Riri would express herself as a mom-to-be in this way as she has always rebelled against what society says.
The billionaire boss opened up about her rebellious maternity style to Bustle. “It’s been me personally saying, I'm not going to buy maternity clothes. I'm not gonna buy maternity pants, jeans, dresses, or [do] whatever society told me to do before,” she said. The 34-year-old mom-to-be is having fun redefining what maternity style is and what pregnant women can wear.
But according to Riri, if we think her current looks are causing a stir, we haven’t seen nothing yet.
"I think [in terms of] having fun and being creative, I've had a little extra boost of that. And now I don't want it to end,” she said. "There's going to be the other side of pregnancy, which is like your ‘snap back’ body, and that's going to be a challenge in and of itself. So I'm looking forward to being creative in that [stage] as well.”
We can only imagine what else she has cooked up for her legion of fans. And while we are eating up her fashions, fans are equally excited about her becoming a first-time mother with her beau A$AP Rocky. The singer also shared with Bustle that she was excited to meet her baby.
If you take a look back at Rihanna’s past comments about motherhood, then you will know that she manifested being a mom. See what she said throughout her career below:
On Where She Sees Herself in the Future
“That's a cool question. In 10 years I want to have already started my family and have some businesses of my own. A fashion line, a makeup line. And I still want to be doing what I'm doing at a much bigger capacity-by the grace of God!” viaInStyle 2008
On Giving Birth to Black Children
"I’m a Black woman. I came from a Black woman, who came from a Black woman, who came from a Black woman and I’m going to give birth to a Black woman. It's a no-brainer. That's who I am. It's the core of who I am in spirit and DNA.”
“My mother is an incredible example of how to fight through obstacles in life. I’m sure her mom taught her that and that’s how I’m going to be. We are impeccable, we’re special and the world is going to have to deal with that.” viaEssence 2019
On Wanting Kids with or without a Man
"I’ll have kids — three or four of ’em. ...I feel like society makes me want to feel like, ‘Oh, you got it wrong…’ They diminish you as a mother if there’s not a dad in your kids’ lives. But the only thing that matters is happiness, that’s the only healthy relationship between a parent and a child. That’s the only thing that can raise a child truly, is love.” viaVogue UK 2020
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Fenty Beauty by Rihanna
On Being Pregnant and Preparing for Motherhood
“I'm trying not to overthink it. I'm trying to embrace the journey as it comes, because there's so much unknown. And if I hype myself up about it right now, I'll just get too anxious and get overwhelmed. And, today is already enough for me to deal with, right? Getting up off the couch, figuring out what I'm going to wear, wearing heels, getting dressed.”
“Everything that seems simple is such a task right now, so I'm just going to go step-by-step. And it's not like I could run from any of what's to come. When I'm faced with it, I'm going to handle it like I know best. The one thing I’ve learned the most during pregnancy is no one can truly prepare you. No matter how many stories you hear, your journey is so unique to you and you could never be prepared enough. You just have to embrace the journey.” via Bustle 2022
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Featured image by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Fenty Beauty by Rihanna
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Stress Awareness Month: Sneaky Workplace Triggers Affecting Black Women, And How To Cope
We all know about the major stress triggers of everyday life, from relationship woes to monthly bills to unexpected emergencies, but there are small, subtle triggers that impact Black women in a big way, especially when it comes to work. It’s good to be aware of these sneaky stressors in order to maximize your day and find ways to incorporate solutions into your self-care routines.
Since it’s Stress Awareness Month, we caught up with Keanne Owens, LCSW, founder of Journey To Harmony Therapy Center, to talk about these triggers and what Black women can do to manage and cope.
Owens is an experienced South Florida-based counselor and social worker who offers her services via Grow Therapy, a therapy and medication management platform. She has worked with Black women professionals to unpack issues related to workplace stressors. “One is the pressure to perform–having to meet deadlines and deliverables. And a lot of times, these subtle stressors from performance are put upon ourselves as Black women. We want to make sure we’re doing our best. We don’t want to be critiqued in certain ways.”
Excessive micromanagement leading to fear of overly critical bosses is another subtle trigger that can negatively impact Black women in the workplace.
“Whenever something is done wrong, or we experience some type of injustice and have to report it, it’s the fear of retaliation–[fear that] we won’t be taken seriously or [our words] will be taken out of context because of being deemed as the ‘angry Black woman,’” she said.
Black Women And Workplace Stress Triggers
Her sentiments are backed by research. A recent report by Coqual found that 28% of Black women (compared to 17% of White men) say their supervisor uses “excessive control or attention to detail” when managing them. There’s more: A survey by the National Employment Law Project found that Black workers were “more likely to have concerns (80 percent) and twice as likely as white workers (18 percent) to have unresolved concerns at work, with 39 percent reporting they were “not satisfied with the employer’s response or did not raise concerns for fear of retaliation.”
The survey also found that 14 percent of Black respondents said they “avoided raising concerns to their employer for fear of retaliation—more than twice the average rate of 6 percent for all survey respondents.”
Owens pointed to the fact that these subtle stress triggers can negatively impact our physical health and our career advancement. “A lot of time it’ll affect our productivity,” Owens added. “We start to have negative thoughts of ourselves. The stressors can also cause fatigue. We’re no longer meeting or working up to our desired potential.” Other challenges as a result include insomnia and increased insolation, withdrawal, and lack of motivation to apply for jobs or promotions even when qualified.
valentinrussanov/Getty Images
How To Manage Subtle Stress Triggers
While there are systemic issues at play for Black women at work that has less to do with us and more to do with major overhauls that must be addressed by the powers that be, there are steps we can take for the betterment of ourselves and our mental health. Owens offered the following tips:
Tap into a support system, whether it’s a coworker you trust, a family member, an organization, or an outlet like a hobby.
Create a good work-life balance before burnout even starts. “Having certain boundaries [is the goal] such as, for example, if you get off at 5, you get off at 5. If your job description is this, you don’t go above and beyond because that brings you to a lot of burnout,” Owens said.
Prioritize self-care, whatever that means for you. “If you don’t have a routine, create one. Practice mindfulness and even some meditation,” she added.
Create structure in your life outside of work. “Even if you have a family, applying some structure in your routine helps relieve stress,” she said.
Get into grounding techniques. “Do a real quick square breathing exercise, that’s literally 30 seconds, or you can do a grounding technique that’s less than two minutes, right there where you are. You don’t need any other materials. That’s something you can do with just yourself and your body.”
Ask for help. “As Black women, we don’t ask for help enough,” she said. “Find where you need to ask for help. A lot of times, people think that’s indicative of weakness, but we need to rewrite that narrative. It’s okay to ask for help where you see fit. [If] you’re a mom, [it could be] every Wednesday from 5 to 6, your children are with the dad. You have to carve out that time.”
For more information on Grow Therapy, visit their website. You can also find out more about Keanne Owens, LCSW, via BeginYourJourneyToHarmony.com.
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Featured image by Charday Penn/Getty Images