I’m going to link two articles below. I want you to read both of them, because they are important. And I want to send a huge thanks to my friend Maria for showing me the second piece, or I probably would have missed both.

1. The Cut: Rihanna on Fenty, Instagram Trends, What’s Cute (and Not Cute) for Boyfriends
2. Man Repeller: Rihanna’s Perspective on Her Weight Changed How I Think

This is a complete spoiler but I need to repost the quote that gave birth to the second think piece because it’s that profound. Rihanna is asked in the original interview: ”What would you want to tell young girls about how to wear clothing that fits their bodies, but also makes them feel good?”

To this, she answers: ”Well, I actually have had the pleasure of a fluctuating body type, where one day I can literally fit into something that is bodycon, and then the next day — the next week — I need something oversized; I need a little crop here and a high-waist there to hide that part, you know? I really pay attention every day when I go into the closet about what’s working for my body that morning. I feel like that’s how everyone should go after fashion, because it’s an individual thing.”

I’m having a bit of a moment here because just like Celeste Little says. ”even though I’m doing better at accepting my body, and loving it because it’s my home, I don’t think I’ve ever called bouncing between sizes a pleasure.”

And I want to. I want my body to be a pleasure. Not in the creepy John Mayer way but for myself, because I’m the one living in it. Rihanna describing her body’s changes as a pleasure is also the best possible example of why I feel empowered by her, and why there’s something so liberating about her confidence. It’s rooted in this quote I think. In her viewing changes as a bliss.

So go read the articles now. They’re important.

Illustration by Jonquel Norwood.