Even though by now it should be common knowledge that you should never ask if someone is pregnant—yes, even a celebrity—women are still subject to cruel and invasive commentary about their bodies. So when tabloid outlets and internet commenters saw paparazzi photos of Lady Gaga at her sister’s wedding—an invasion of privacy, in and of itself—the singer shut down online speculation flawlessly, with another pop icon coming straight to her defense.
Gaga served as a bridesmaid at her sister Natali Germanotta’s wedding, and she looked beautiful and happy at the celebration. But that didn’t stop people from commenting on her body, which the singer was forced to address on TikTok.
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Sharing a selfie video showing off her incredible makeup, the 38-year-old captioned the clip “not pregnant—just down bad crying at the gym,” which references lyrics from Taylor Swift’s song “Down Bad” off her latest album, “Tortured Poets Department.”
Like the true queen that she is, she also used the opportunity to encourage fans to register to vote, linking out to Headcount. (A great reminder for all of us, especially given that it’s an election year!)
More than 25,000 fans came to the comments section to cheer Gaga on, with Swift herself issuing a stern reminder why it’s not OK to speculate about the status of someone’s uterus.
“Can we all agree that it’s invasive & irresponsible to comment on a woman’s body,” she wrote. “Gaga doesn’t owe anyone an explanation & neither does any woman.” She ended with a kiss-print emoji for good measure.
Of course, it should go without saying that it’s simply never cool to comment on someone’s body for any reason, but it’s tenfold when we’re talking about pregnancy speculation. Even if you think the comment is well-meaning, this type of body policing is rooted in the misogynistic idea that women’s bodies should look a certain way, when really, our bodies can change and appear different on a day-to-day basis. You also never know why someone’s body might look different. They could be experiencing illness, fertility struggles, pregnancy loss, or they could be newly pregnant. Or it could be none of those things—either way, someone else’s body is no one else’s business. Let bodies be bodies, y’all.
If someone is rude enough to ask you if you’re pregnant, you’re well within your rights to yeet them into the sun. (Kidding! Kind of.) You have every right to tell them it’s rude and inappropriate to ask, and that it’s not OK to talk about your body. You can also push back, asking them why they feel so comfortable to ask someone such a personal question, or how they might feel if someone asked them if they were pregnant. Or, you can respond or not respond however you wish.
As for Gaga and Swift, they’ve both been subject to pregnancy speculation for years (many years), and they’ve mastered the art form of shutting that nonsense down with ease. But maybe—here’s a wild idea—they shouldn’t have to at all, because their bodies are none of our business, and they never should have been in the first place.