What a coup for Anna! Although I cannot imagine Rihanna taking her baby bump to the cover of any other magazine — she has been on the cover of Vogue a lot throughout her career — it still feels like a big deal that she did this at all. (And in Alaia, who, as we all know, is a totally important designer.) People will 100% see this at the market and float past the broccoli in a fugue state to pick this up and flip through it; folks will DEFINITELY see Rihanna somehow making a red lace onesie and matching gloves seem reasonable on the magazine rack at the airport and snap this up to read on the plane on their way to their first vacation in goodness knows how long. This doesn’t feel particularly summer-y, but it does feel like an event and you always want an event in your pool tote for the weekend.
The story itself, by Chioma Nnadi, is great; there are actually photos in there that I might have swapped out for this cover one, were I in charge of Vogue, which thank god I am not, because I feel like it would be very bad for my anxiety disorder. There is also a shot in there of everyone prepping for the photo shoot that isn’t right for a cover, but which is fantastic. Rihanna looks regal, and talks a lot about pregnancy fashion in a way that is very thoughtful and interesting (and funny; she said her stylist is stressed), and is also unusually revealing about her personal life and relationship. But most of all, she seems really happy.
“I’m hoping that we were able to redefine what’s considered ‘decent’ for pregnant women,” she tells me. “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?”
Mazel tov!
Vogue’s May 2022 issue is available on newsstands nationwide on April 26th.
