Once again, Rihanna has proven she’s here for women.
The singer-turned-lingerie designer closed out New York Fashion Week Wednesday with a show celebrating womanhood. She unapologetically explained her motivation behind the presentation after, HuffPost reports.
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“Women are running the world right now and it’s too bad for men,” Rihanna told Elle following her Savage X Fenty spring 2019 presentation.
This wasn’t your average fashion show. Rihanna sent women of all shapes, sizes, and races dancing and performing down the runway — a bold move in an industry often criticized for lacking diversity.
Models wore everything from boxer shorts and sports bras to revealing garter belts and thigh-high tights. Women in sizes 0 to 22 stood side by side, including sisters Gigi and Bella Hadid. One of two pregnant women stepped out in pasties and a bodysuit highlighting her belly.
Rihanna closes NYFW week with Savage x Fenty Lingerie Show #SAVAGEXFW18pic.twitter.com/3sPgqGN7hN
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Lines of empowerment soundtracked the show, like, “We know that we can be as competent in the boardroom as the bedroom.".
“I wanted to include every woman. I wanted every woman on the stage with different energies, different races, body types, different stages in their womanhood, culture,” she explained, talking about the show’s diverse casting. “I wanted women to feel celebrated and that we started this shit. We own this.”
The star went on to praise motherhood.
“I’m not the type to judge any woman about any part of her womanhood, especially motherhood because that’s like the VIP of womanhood. Bringing a life into the world is no joke,” she gushed.
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Rihanna also highlighted the importance of giving women the choice to make the best decisions for their bodies and well-being.
“I have a lot of respect for Slick [Woods] and every other pregnant woman working until their due date. I’ll never tell her she can’t do a show unless she tells me I can’t because I’m about to drop in a second,” she said.
The world needs more bosses like Rihanna, in a time when many pregnant women face discrimination at work. A 2017 poll reported 18% of male recruiters and 1 in 10 female recruiters admitted they were concerned about hiring young women because they could potentially get pregnant, even though it’s illegal.
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Gender equality is only one of Rihanna’s humanitarian commitments. The pop singer was appointed a global ambassador to champion education in 2016 and has since supported the cause both on social media and on the ground.
While Savage X Fenty was the biggest standout, there were a handful of inclusive shows at New York Fashion week this season. The designers behind the brand Tome presented their collection on women of all ages, and Marco Marco Underwear only used transgender models.
“I want people to wear Savage X Fenty and think, ‘I’m a bad bitch.’ I want women to own their beauty,” Rihanna enforced.