From her audition, to her pre-natal pictorial, to her finals night dress with a see-through tummy that showed her pregnancy in all its glory – Jessica brought us in her journey toward both the grand finale and motherhood.
Jessica Sanchez showing the announcement card that she won ‘America’s Got Talent’.
Photograph courtesy of JESSICA SANCHEZ/IG
Barbadian singer Rihanna performs during the halftime show of Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on 12 February, 2023.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Anne Curtis and Erwann Heussaff in a sexy maternity shoot by Mark Nicdao.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF MARK NICDAO
Cardi B in a 2018 Rolling Stone magazine cover with then fiance Offset.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ROLLING STONE
Brooke Shields by Annie Liebovitz for Vogue, 2003.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF VOGUE
A pregnant Teyana Taylor firing an assault rifle in ‘One Battle After Another’
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF Warner Bros Pictures
Singer Vanessa Hudgens attends the Vanity Fair Oscars Party at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California, on 10 March 2024.
Michael TRAN/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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Pregnancy — deemed as a weakness or a hindrance to achieving dreams by some — has become the source of strength, hope, inspiration and even empowerment and fashion statement to women like singing phenomenon Jessica Sanchez, who recently made history for the Filipino-American community as America’s Got Talent (AGT) grand champion in its landmark 20th anniversary — all while carrying a bulging belly!
Jessica, at first, had qualms to continue with the competition after learning that she is expecting shortly after deciding to join. Throughout her AGT journey, she fought twice as hard — both for a spot at the finals and the challenges of pregnancy — constant sleepiness, fatigue, breathlessness and possibly cravings and morning sickness. But instead of letting all these weigh her down, her growing baby even served as motivation for Jessica to work harder for her dreams because these dreams would no longer just for her, but also for her daughter and family. And in the end, she prevailed — in style!
From her audition, to her pre-natal pictorial, to her finals night dress with a see-through tummy that showed her pregnancy in all its glory — Jessica brought us in her journey toward both the grand finale and motherhood.
But Jessica is not alone. Even before her, many women have been juggling not only motherhood and career — but literally, the weight of work and their babies inside them — proving that despite the hiccups, pregnancy does not hinder women to achieve more and be more.
Besides Jessica, kudos to these star mamas who marked new milestones while carrying their babies as their best, not their pest, accessory.
Rihanna at the Super Bowl Half-time Show
Like Jessica, Barbados’ first ever billionaire Rihanna wowed twice as much when she performed her much-awaited Super Bowl LVII half-time show at State Farm Stadium last 12 February 2023 in Glendale, Arizona with a “pasabog” different from other superstars who graced the Super Bowl half-time shows — her second pregnancy nine months after she gave birth to her first child.
Although already about five months expecting at the time, Rihanna gamely gyrated and belted out her hits — atop elevated and moving platforms in high heels and red jumpsuit — proof that women can still be fearless and shine bright like a diamond amid their pregnancy!
Anne Curtis in ‘It’s Showtime’
Like Rihanna, Anne was five months on the way when she performed her stunning acrobatic stunts for the “Magpasikat” segment of noontime show It’s Showtime, with a thumbs up from her doctor and trainer. After the stunts, she went viral on social media again for her sexy maternity shoot with husband Erwan Heussaff.
Catherine Zeta-Jones in ‘Chicago’
Apart from her 25-year age gap with husband Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones made headlines for performing her physically-demanding dancing scenes for the musical film Chicago while two-to-three months pregnant. She then went on to win Best Supporting Actress at Oscars.
Cardi B on the ‘Rolling Stones’ cover
Cardi B’s June 2018 Rolling Stone cover with her then-fiancé Offset kissing her tattooed pregnant body is like the real-life version of Malin Akerman’s rock n’ rolling pregnant character alongside Tom Cruise in Rock of Ages — cool, edgy and full of spunk.
Britney Spears at the ‘Someday’ music video
Written by Spears herself, “Someday (I Will Understand)” is a song released in 2005, with a music video showing the American pop star in bed and walking around a house while singing to her unborn child.
Brooke Shields in ‘Vogue’
It was like “life imitates art” when Shields embodied her 1978 film Pretty Baby in a 2003 Vogue cover. But instead of nude, she was wet a la Blue Lagoon.
Other proofs that pregnant women are oozing with sensuality are the maternity covers of Demi Moore for Vanity Fair; Christina Aguilera in Marie Claire; Jessica Alba in Latina; Cindy Crawford in W; Mariah Carey in Life & Style Weekly; Heidi Klum in Vitals Woman; Claudia Schiffer in German Vogue; and Rebecca Romijn in Page Six Magazine, among others.
Beyonce’s maternity fashion shoot
Featured by British Vogue, Beyonce’s 2017 artistic goddess maternity fashion shoot for her twins Rumi and Sir Carter set internet records for likes, garnering over half a million likes on the R&B superstar’s Instagram in just 14 minutes.
Teyana Taylor in ‘One Battle After Another’
Still showing in Philippine cinemas, One Battle After Another depicts the very sexy rebel character of Teyana Taylor as a femme fatale killing machine with a baby bump --- what a kick-ass!
Vanessa Hudgens at the Oscars red carpet
Finally, since we began the list with the Filipina-American Jessica, let us end with another Filipina-American singer, Vanessa Hudgens, who announced her pregnancy by debuting her baby bump at the Oscars last year.
