Superfemme Rihanna greets summer with a new Savage x Fenty ca,[aogm. spotlighting the brand’s new Daisy bustier and first strapless bra. Photographer Dennis Leupold flashes the brand’s somewhat demure new additions.

**Rihanna** greets summer with a new Savage x Fenty ca,[aogm. spotlighting the brand’s first strapless bra.

In a truly telling comment, one Instagram follower wrote: ‘“It’s ugly until Rihanna wears it.” Still true.’

Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty lingerie brand is now a year old, with a brand presence that is far larger than its growing sales. Don’t think that the size inclusive mogul doesn’t take heat from Rihanna fans, with many larger size women complaining that their size 20 versions aren’t identical or almost a twin to the size 2.

Teen Vogue took up the convo earlier this year, featuring comments by fashion blogger Alysse Dalessandro (@ReadyToStare on Twitter) about the V-Day 2019 collection.

“I understand construction cannot always be the same for plus-size (especially in lingerie) but I know you can do strappy bralettes in plus,” she said, “So why do brands do this?” Of course, garment construction could play a part in why the bralette styles greatly differ. After all, scaling up from a size 2 to a size 20 isn’t as straightforward as just using more fabric. Often times, when expanding their sizes, designers have to tweak the design and construction of the pieces slightly. And in the case of lingerie, they have to be extra mindful and strategic when creating larger sizes to ensure that a bra for bigger busts has as much support as possible. That said, designing garments that fit bodies across a range of sizes isn't simple, but it is possible — even with lingerie.

The message is that people of size want to wear skin-baring lingerie as much as a slimmer person. Ignoring the technical challenges at hand — and they are real — Dalessandro is sending the message that plus-size women aren’t trying to hide their sizes. They aren’t seeking a body-concealing version of the smaller one.

Numerous studies have established the reality that women of color celebrate their body images more than Caucasian women, who are generally more insecure about their sizes. This is one summary, but I’ve followed this topic for years — being a Victoria’s Secret exec alum — and this reality is for real and growing.

In a Washington University study, Black women with high self-esteem and a strong sense of racial identity actually rated themselves more attractive than pictures of supposedly 'beautiful' white fashion models. In another study about 40% of moderately and severely overweight Black women rated their figures to be attractive or very attractive. Other research indicates that this may be because African-American women are more flexible in their concepts of beauty than their White counterparts, who express rigid ideals and greater dissatisfaction with their own body-shape.

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