Rihanna Refuses To Hide Her Post-Baby Body And It’s Making People Furious

This week, Rihanna was spotted with her younger son Riot, and X did what it does best: bullied a woman for simply existing.

Another recent viral post on X showed two images of Rihanna: one from her 20s, the other of her at 37 today. Keep in mind that Rihanna currently has three children—RZA is three, Riot is two, and newborn Rocki arrived in September 2025—and her appearance has shifted accordingly, as bodies do. Yet people still compare her to the version of herself from nearly two decades ago. People commented that her hairline has “receded,” she’s “fatter” now, and she’s no longer in her prime. The tweets about her appearance garnered a lot of attention, with one writing, "I can see why people leave their partners after birth.” 

That one post received nearly 40,000 likes. While I do think that it’s just rage-bait, I fear that some people actually agree with that sentiment, which begs the question: Is a woman's changed body after pregnancy grounds for abandonment? Are we only worthy of commitment when we look like we’ve never given birth or refuse to age?

Someone else wrote, "This is why rich men are dating younger women. Look at what happened to Rihanna." Mind you, these are likely the same people who complain about the falling birth rates. 

One voice, however, gave me hope for humanity: "Let's be honest, the recent criticism Rihanna has been getting about her looks is because y'all are used to seeing celebrities run to a surgeon after giving birth. Rihanna is confident in her skin and she lets her body change naturally, and for some reason that upsets people."  

It’s unfortunate that allowing your body to shift and change and settle into its postpartum reality is seen as negligence or a failure to maintain the feminine appeal. It's one thing to take care of yourself as you age, but it's another to normalize the complete erasure of motherhood. Society has decided that the only acceptable post-baby body is the one that looks as though it never birthed a baby at all. In doing that, we've normalized the idea that motherhood should be invisible, that a woman should have kids and then immediately erase the evidence, surgically if necessary. This “snapback” is just what's expected now, especially if you’re a public figure. But whether we like it or not, motherhood changes your entire being. Your face, body, and even your brain undergo a complete transformation.  

Society has decided that the only acceptable post-baby body is the one that looks as though it never birthed a baby at all.

When a woman refuses to spend her money or time erasing these so-called “imperfections,” and instead allows herself to look like someone who had kids, it bothers people. It shouldn't, but it does, because motherhood has become something we treat as a flaw. And that tells you everything about how anti-motherhood our culture really is.

Rihanna has been body-shamed repeatedly since becoming a mother. The Fenty founder herself has spoken publicly about the reality of pregnancy and recovery, including how she went through postpartum hair loss. "I didn't expect it to happen in waves. I thought it would just happen and grow back," she explained, describing the shock of losing her hair in patches after giving birth. Rather than disappearing into invisibility or going under the knife, Rihanna chose to build something from her experience. She launched Fenty Hair, drawing directly from the reality of postpartum change, from the knowledge that hair goes through cycles and shifts and requires care that accounts for transformation rather than fighting against it. 

The conversation about Rihanna's appearance will continue online. Users will keep comparing her to the twenty-something version of herself, and she'll keep existing in her own body regardless. Because she's not trying to hide her marks of motherhood. Last month, Rihanna shared that she went shopping for clothes that would show off her postpartum figure. She looked for pieces that embraced her physique, which she flaunts rather than conceals, even as strangers insist she should feel ashamed of it.

At Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week last month, she was asked about her favorite pieces from the Dior show. Instead of choosing styles designed to hide her postpartum body, she looked for pieces that fit her as she is now: "I wanted the dresses, I wanted the skirts with a little bump [at the stomach] 'cause I got a little pouch after having kids, so I'd love that," she said.

Her approach to fashion mirrors her philosophy about motherhood: embrace the evolution. Honor it. Alyssa Morin, who interviewed Rihanna in 2024, also wrote on her Substack that the singer gave her advice she wasn’t expecting. “My advice is to stop trying to ‘feel’ like yourself again,” Rihanna told her. “That’s never happening again. Your reality is you’re a mom. You have kids, your body did amazing, magical, miraculous things—it’s to be celebrated.” 

She added, “Your life is never going to be the same. Embrace that and celebrate it. We miss that part the most: celebrating it.”