Rihanna isn’t taking snapback culture to heart. After having a baby back in May, the new mother has been the recipient of numerous body-shaming comments due to her weight gain. Not one to let the haters get to her, the 34-year-old is showing the world the importance of self-acceptance.
Rihanna Isn’t Rushing To Restore Her Pre-Pregnancy Body
Every young mother knows that we live in a “snapback” culture. While most people accept the fact that women gain weight while pregnant, society still puts a lot of pressure on young moms to “snap back” to their pre-baby body.
However, even while pregnant, women can still receive body-shaming comments about their weight gain. Turns out, Rihanna is no exception.
In an Instagram post celebrating her pregnancy, Rihanna received much love from her fans for her glowing body. However, there were also some very spiteful comments about the musician’s body. From telling the musician to put on a shirt and vomit emojis to calling the singer’s new body “gross,” haters shared their lame comments.
The singer is letting each hater know that she has “no time to have you lurking.” After the pop icon had her son on May 13 with her partner A$AP Rocky, Rihanna hasn’t been in a rush to bounce back to her pre-pregnancy body.
She is staying true to herself and making public appearances with a thicker body. Just as she showed off her baby bump during her pregnancy, Rihanna continues to flaunt her newly transformed body.
As the actress continues to love her body, she’s also hitting back at body shamers. Though it’s only been a few months since giving birth, the singer still receives comments that are an example of post-baby body shaming.
Even so, Rihanna continues to speak out about women accepting their bodies at any size. In fact, the singer has advocated for young girls to be healthy and “to eat the things they like” (per The Independent).
But it’s not just young girls that she’s advocating for. The fashion icon is known for prioritizing health and wellness. According to Women’s Health, she even shared several healthy eating and exercise tips that keep the actress healthy at any size.
Most of these tips are suggestions that we should all keep in mind: eat breakfast, staying hydrated, and always have snacks on hand. The bottom line for Rihanna? The most important thing to focus on is health, not body size.
She’s Slaying The Fashion Game With Her New Body
Rihanna has been a fashion icon for decades. Not one to jump on trends, the singer has created iconic styles of her own while keeping in mind her body size.
Even before she had her baby, the actress was very aware of how to flatter her body at different weights. Admitting that she has “had the pleasure of a fluctuating body type,” the singer knows that style is a very individual thing.
“I really pay attention every day when I go into the closet about what’s working for my body that morning. I feel like that’s how everyone should go after fashion, because it’s an individual thing. And then, if you take it further, it’s like: What week are you having? You having a skinny week? You having a fat week?” the star told The Cut.
“I think it’s important to make sure that you wear the thing that works for your body the best, and that’s flattering.”
With her post-pregnancy body, Rihanna is all about dressing herself to feel beautiful and confident. Plus, she’s not afraid to adapt to her body’s changes!
With her fluctuating body, Rihanna has learned how to contour her makeup to give her the best look. In fact, she recommends contouring to get your ideal makeup look especially when you have your “little fat days.”
Rihanna Modeling A Realistic Post-Baby Body Sends An Important Message About Self-Acceptance
Perhaps most importantly, Rihanna is modeling self-acceptance to women post-pregnancy. After all, women gain weight during pregnancy because it’s both healthy and necessary. Women aren’t gaining weight simply because it feels good to eat extra food while pregnant.
Instead, they’re taking in more fat and nutrients as part of the natural cycle of childbirth and breastfeeding. In fact, if a woman is too thin when she gives birth, her baby is at extra risk of being born prematurely.
Rihanna is also throwing out the idea that young mothers should return to their pre-pregnancy body. It’s completely unreasonable to expect a woman to gain weight during pregnancy, give birth to a child, and then immediately lose the weight she’s gained for the past nine months.
Most likely, the mother is breastfeeding and needs the extra food for both her and her baby. Plus, many women simply accept their thicker figures and transformed bodies.
Young mothers should be encouraged to appreciate their new bodies instead of trying to fit back into old styles—and that’s exactly what Rihanna does!
As Rihanna told T Magazine, “You wear what looks good on you and that’s it. I’m thick and curvy right now, and so if I can’t wear my own stuff then, I mean, that’s not gonna work, right?”
As Rihanna continues to show women what it means to fully accept your body, she’s sharing the important message that the focus should be on health, not on having a particular body type. Regardless if have children or not, it’s a message we all should take to heart.