A celebrity being pregnant has always been a newsworthy story and in the age of the internet, it has become an even bigger deal than in previous years. In a way, it’s a way for the star to also gauge just how interested people are in them. If their pregnancy reveals remains a talking point for more than a week, then you know you are a major star.
But it’s also not just about announcing the pregnancy, but also how it is announced. Over the years we have seen major movie stars and musicians go the magazine route to tell the world they are with child. Demi Moore did it best in the 1990s with her August 1991 Vanity Fair cover that took the world by storm and changed celebrity pregnancy announcements.
Speaking about the cover to Naomi Campbell she said: “I understand what impact it had on the world. On women, on our permission to embrace ourselves in a pregnant state. But it was a moment that I was talking to really be in myself and be expressing myself and not trying to be anything other than me.”
The latest global celebrity to announce their pregnancy, news which topped the headlines, was Rihanna. Her pictures were taken by a street-style photographer while walking with the baby's father, A$AP Rocky on the streets of Harlem. The internet went into a meltdown.
While there were rumours by obsessed body watchers who kept on whispering that the billionaire entertainer and businesswoman, was pregnant, few paid them any mind. The baggy clothing should have been a sign that she was expecting, but she has been wearing baggy clothing since 2018.
It was her choice of outfit that also made her announcement different from everyone else. She wore a silk puffer parka from the Chanel AW 1996 collection, which was showcased in 1995 in Paris. She layered Chanel jewellery and Christian Lacroix Paris Couture Heart Crystal Cross pendant brooch.
It was a different approach, preferring to share the news in an unconventional manner. It made me think of the current trend of high glam pregnancy announcements loved by socialites and influencers that has all of us in a chokehold.
Take Ayanda Thabethe's announcement of her first pregnancy. She went full glam, shooting a high-quality video wearing luxurious silk garments while frolicking on sand dunes. It screamed decadent and luxurious and everyone loved it.
But then Rihanna dropped her pictures, choosing to forgo the luxury model made popular by her contemporaries, like Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj. It was almost like she was saying: “Okay, it’s true. I am pregnant. Now leave me alone.”
In 2017, Beyoncé announced her pregnancy with the twins, sharing a picture of her cradling her belly while wearing a veil and kneeling in the front backdrop of vibrant flowers. It was a Renaissance Era-esque announcement and led to the picture becoming the most liked on Instagram with 11.2 million likes.
Kirsten Dunst shared the news of her pregnancy with the world, with a riff of her Marie Antoinette role. Laying on a bed with a floral bedspread and gold headboard, she wore a lace Rodarte gown. The picture was taken for W magazine.
Nicki Minaj’s announcement in 2020 saw her wear a special bra by designer Lacey Dalimonte, which had baby trinkets, candy covered in Swarovski crystals, Barbie heels, and other unusual pieces. She wore a yellow wig, jewellery and sky-high platform heels festooned with pearls.
A pregnancy announcement will always be a big deal. But to make it headline news, the same old is not the way to do it. Not when stars like Rihanna are continuing to buck the trend.
This article first appeared in Saturday Insider, Feb 12, 2022