The 2022 guest designer collection by Olivier Rousteing for Jean Paul Gaultier is modeled Marie-Agnès Diene, with styling by Juan Cebrian. Photographer Pablo Saez [IG] is behind the lens for the September 2022 issue of S Moda for El Pais. / Hair by Shaila Moran; makeup by Thomas Lorenz

Speaking about his interpretation of Gaultier — unseen by the founder until the show — Olivier Rousteing had multiple references, including prints from Jean-Paul Gaultier’s groundbreaking FW 1994/95 show. “I’m of Ethiopian descent,” he explained in July.

“And as a kid, I was so, so happy that someone could talk about my country and my culture as well.” He continued, “The thing that I feel about Jean-Paul is that he was ahead of his time. Today we talk about no boundaries, we talk about different shapes, we talk about inclusivity, diversity but Jean was the first to actually push for what we are fighting for today.”

Those patterns are not featured in this S Moda fashion story.

What is featured is a tribute to the Gaultier-designed ensembles that Madonna wore on her Blonde Ambition Tour in 1990. In his July comments, Rousteing spoke to his deep concern for women and female liberation worldwide — starting with American women.

“You can see the reference to the dress of Madonna from the time,” which was in the early 1990s, he pointed out. “Then, she could have her nipples out, where[as] in 2022, weirdly we cannot let the woman be free as much as she was. I think in the world that we are right now, when, what happened in America as well, the power and the freedom of women is so important,” the designer continued, referencing the US Supreme Court Dobbs decision

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, No. 19-1392, 597 U.S. ___ (2022), is a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, issued on June 24, 2022, in which the court held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion.

AOC is deeply involved in women’s reproductive health and body autonomy issues for many years, and thank Olivier Rousteing profusely for his comments. In the spirit of his comments let me underscore the BIG, BIG fight coming in America on the mind-boggling concept of Personhood legislation.

Personhood Legislation is a Death Knell for Women’s Rights in America

If you are hearing that pro-choice and pro-body-autonomy voters in our three parties are galvanized by this situation, that is true. All political analysis of our primaries — including yesterday’s in New York State and Florida — confirms that Democrats, Independents and pro-choice Republicans are voting hard on this topic.

What you don’t probably know is that the state of Georgia passed legislation in early August allowing residents to claim a fetus of any gestation age — the minute you get two pink lines on your at home test — for a $3000 exemption on state tax returns.

Simply stated, the civil rights of a fertilized embryo are identical to those of a Republican mom with four kids, an adoring husband and a mother-in-law who worships her. Given the reality that between 15-20% of all pregancies result in natural miscarriage, being prosecuted for manslaughter becomes a high probability overnight.

This is a religious war led by the Catholic Church hierarchy and white nationalists on women in America. Period. Note that the views of the Catholic hierarchy do not represent the views of a majority of Catholics who support contraception and abortion rights in most cases.

Building on Rousteing’s comments, we need fashion people to become deeply involved in this fight in any and every way possible. Jean Paul Gaultier also has always been a feminist — his words in April 2021 about the designer’s "Cinemode", exhibit on film, women and power which open at the Cinematheque Francaise days later. Anyone who dressed Madonna in her Blonde Ambition Tour is on our side of this fight.

Unlike so many young people AOC was not caught off-balance by this upcoming personhood amendment battle, once Roe fell. We’ve written about personhood for 10 years. First up is a national ban on all abortion by Republicans; then a personhood amendment probably follows. Contraception is in their cross-hairs, too, and do not believe their denials unless you hear it from the mouth of the Vatican.

The Catholic church — running American politics at this point among right-wingers — may just go for broke and announce that life begins at conception and that’s the end of the conversation. They just might get it through the six-Catholic judges in nine US Supreme Court. Actually make it seven because Gorsuch was raised Catholic but his wife is Episcopalian, and they attend a Colorado Episcopalian church.

‘The Handmaids Tale’ was indeed for real. We were not over-reacting.

So as sexy and powerful as these Olivier Rousteing fashions for Gaultier are — do not be deceived. I really do believe that Europe is comparatively safe — in a way America has never been safe — but Anja Rubik will definitely be talking personhood any day in Poland, if not already. No model has done more to elevate body autonomy rights than Rubik. And AOC loves her deeply for these efforts.

If you don’t understand the implications of personhood rights for a fertilized egg, just don’t be drinking a martini at a work event and tell someone you might be pregnant. There may well be a future law against your right to do that in red states. If you have a miscarriage, you might be prosecuted for manslaughter.

“Each week a woman consumes alcohol during the first five to 10 weeks of pregnancy is associated with an incremental 8% increase in risk of miscarriage, according to a study by Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) researchers.” via Science Daily. August 2020

Related: TIME weighs in on the personhood issue. ~ Anne