From Italian lakes to the steps of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, celebrities everywhere are showing off their pregnancy bellies as they take center stage.
When Margot Robbie was photographed in Lake Como earlier this week, what was widely reported to be evidence of the Barbie actor’s pregnancy, above left, appeared. White Lotus actress Alexandra Daddario appeared in Vogue on Thursday wearing a Phoebe Philo T-shirt that was open from the breastbone down, revealing a bump.
Model and activist Adwoa Aboah and actress Sienna Miller have both bared their pregnant bellies on red carpets, in photo shoots and while grocery shopping in recent months.
“The shift in how pregnant bodies are perceived and celebrated in fashion is a truly significant cultural evolution,” said Naomi Raybould, founder and creative director of Beyond Nine, a brand that offers “clothing for modern maternity.” “The rise of celebrities like Margot Robbie and Rihanna proudly showing off their baby bumps has definitely influenced mainstream fashion, making it more acceptable and even trendy to highlight pregnancy rather than hide it,” she added.
Grace Kapin, who has worked in the maternity industry for ten years and is co-owner of the brand Storq, said: “I have been following closely for a long time and there has been a very clear and radical transformation in how pregnant bodies are viewed, not just by onlookers but by pregnant people themselves.
“There’s a lot more acceptance of what pregnant bodies actually look like across the beautiful human diversity, and this would be my speculation, a lot more than what people thought was socially appropriate or dared to try in the very recent past.”
It was seen as seismic when Demi Moore showed her belly on the cover of Vanity Fair in 1991. It’s now more common for women to wear clothes that don’t cover a growing belly, both in and out of the public eye.
Rihanna was at the forefront of this, announcing her first pregnancy by stepping out with a adorned but otherwise bare baby bump. At the time, she told current head of British Vogue Chioma Nnadi: “I hope that we can redefine what is considered ‘appropriate’ for pregnant women. My body is doing incredible things right now and I’m not going to be ashamed of it. This time should be a celebratory moment. Because why should you hide your pregnancy?”
There have been moments over the years that have reminded us of the nausea that can be displayed around the pregnant body. In 1998, there was consternation when Melanie Blatt from All Saints walked on stage, five months pregnant, her belly sticking out and proud. The “bump watch” was a challenge for pregnant celebrities in the gossip press of the 1990s and 2000s. In 2019, tabloids criticised the Duchess of Sussex for “showing” her own baby bump.
Now, the list of celebrities—and, anecdotally, non-celebrities—exposing their bellies to the elements is growing. “I’ve been seeing pregnant bellies on the street every day since spring, wearing bra tops and crop tops,” said Kapin, who lives in New York City. “I see stretch marks, scars, linea negras, and just very approachable bodies in general, and excited “To see that.” He sees it as “a sign of what’s going to happen in terms of trends across the country.” The same could be said for the UK.
She also thinks it’s important to note that she sees bellies “at every stage,” not just around the third trimester. “There’s always been a struggle about when to announce or talk about pregnancy, the stage where you hide behind your clothes until you’re ready to be fully scrutinized and criticized by tabloids or coworkers.”
Speaking of Daddario, the celebrity added: “It’s a big deal for a celebrity to be confident enough about how they look and feel at this stage and want to be introduced that way.”
Much of this is down to the evolution of maternity style. With searches for “maternity” down 45% year-on-year on online fashion search business Lyst, content editor Amy Fenton said: “We’ve noticed a huge shift in maternity fashion over the years. Belly’s are now celebrated as part of your look – not something to hide, but something to wear.”
Peasant tops and peplums were once standard dress. Jackie Kennedy wore boxy suits for her pregnancies. Diana, Princess of Wales, wore pie-shell-collared tent dresses. Rihanna was also influential, wearing everything from sheer lingerie-inspired designs to low-rise jeans and cropped rugby shirts. Many women now wear only what they wore before they got pregnant, going up a size when necessary.
It is also not uncommon for maternity clothes to be made with the belly part prominent and to leave the belly exposed, rather than being tightly wrapped with body-hugging fabrics or trying to hide it with empire cuts or ruffles.
“Historically, maternity fashion has relied heavily on baggy, shapeless garments designed to conceal the belly, an approach that made me and others I spoke to feel uncomfortable,” Raybould said. “I think it’s great that pregnant women feel empowered to showcase and celebrate their bodies.” Kapin sees this as “a push for more body positivity wrapped up in fashion trends.”
Does it reflect broader shifts in attitudes toward motherhood? “Perhaps this is in direct contrast to the reversals we’ve seen at the Supreme Court level in terms of who gets to decide what decisions can be made about having babies and by whom,” Kapin said. “The public attitude seems to be more open and accepting than ever before about women being able to show and talk about pregnancy on their own terms, whereas it’s increasingly politically fraught.”