Pregnancy Announcement
Moments like this are why I’m a culture journalist. Rihanna, the Bajan Billionaire, has been fighting pregnancy allegations from tabloids for over 10 years. But this is not a drill. Rihanna the singer, actress, designer, and fashion icon is pregnant. Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are expecting their first child together.
News broke Monday morning and I was on campus trying desperately to not scream in public. This announcement comes within the same week of general Rihanna’s praise.
Earlier that same week we celebrated the 6th anniversary of “Anti,” one of my favorite albums ever. Off the back of that was an endless stream of posts showcasing Rihanna’s iconic streetwear looks. So for news of Rihanna’s pregnancy to break on an inconspicuous Monday was wild. I was on campus trying desperately not to scream.
While my Twitter timeline and I fell into a frenzy this post idea popped up to me. This moment, this pregnancy is particularly exciting, shocking, and joyous for the Rihanna Navy. It had gotten to the point where people didn’t believe the news until they saw the pictures!
My heart swelled with the news because I have over-identified with Rihanna my whole life. Rihanna is, sadly, the strongest connection I have to half of my culture.
Rihanna & Me
Celebrity culture is often criticized, and rightfully so. But, as a little girl, I latched onto the “Man Down” singer to feel connected to my Bajan roots. So, race, ethnicity, and nationality. In the year 2022 people still cannot decipher the difference but here is how it goes for me: racially I am undoubtedly Black, ethnically I am African-American and Bajan (Barbadian), and my nationality is American.
My beloved maternal grandmother moved from the sticks of South Carolina soon after the “end” of the Civil Rights Movement, to the cold urban bustle of Massachusetts. My father immigrated from the island country of Barbados to America when he was… around 18?
I never had a good relationship with my father and he alienated himself and subsequently me from his family both here in America and in Barbados. My pride in my Caribbean half has always been unwavering but never nurtured in the way it needed to be.
Rihanna the rebellious, beautiful, talented, and singer who took the world by storm became my understanding of Barbados. Her mannerisms, her accent, and her pride in her heritage sparked recognition in me. My love and support for Rihanna have forged on ever since.
Representation
It’s weird, isn’t it? From an abstract or even philosophical standpoint, needing to see yourself in other people is weird. Minorities in predominantly white countries tend to innately understand the need to see ourselves earnestly represented in mass media, so this is my first time ever contemplating this. It’s beautiful that commonality is sought out.
Rihanna and I are locked in. As far as I’m concerned, Rihanna has made me an auntie.
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