Joy Villa's Anti-Abortion Grammy Dress Was Inspired by Sonogram of Child She Placed for Adoption
After making a statement at the 2018 Grammy Awards, singer Joy Villa is explaining her politically-charged ensemble.
At Sunday’s show, Villa, 26, walked the red carpet in a white Pronovias wedding gown which featured a large rainbow painting of a fetus on the skirt to make an anti-abortion statement.
In an op-ed published by Fox News on Wednesday, she recalled her past pregnancy nearly a decade ago and revealed that the fetus drawn on her Grammy dress was inspired by the eight-month sonogram of the daughter she had and later placed for adoption.
“Ten years ago my life was shattered, I couldn’t stop crying: I had a beautiful baby growing inside of me … I was overcome with guilt, agony and shame. I was penniless, far from home and trapped in an abusive, toxic relationship with a man who had become a shadow of what he once was,” Villa wrote.
Looking for more style content? Click here to subscribe to the PeopleStyle Newsletter for amazing shopping discounts, can’t-live-without beauty products and more.
“At 19 I fell in love with an older man who was very kind-hearted with a good heart, but once he began using drugs our relationship quickly became a nightmare. The same arms that once held and protected me were weaponized; night after night, I’d hide in a corner, terrified of being beaten. I didn’t know who to turn to,” she continued, adding, “After a contraceptive failed, I became pregnant at age 20.”
Villa claims went she found out she was pregnant a nurse pressured her to consider an abortion but she refused in the hopes of making a family with her drug-addicted and abusive partner.
“I was violently thrown against the wall by the baby’s father while heavily pregnant, I knew I needed a real solution. My baby deserved so much better,” she detailed. “That’s when I made the most difficult and important decision of my life: I decided to carry my baby to term and then give her up for adoption to a loving family. I put her life over mine.”
Be sure to check out PEOPLE’s full Grammys coverage to get the latest news on music’s big night.
To this day, Villa has a relationship with her child through open adoption.
“I have a growing and wonderful relationship with my daughter today because of my decision to choose life,” she said.
Last year, Villa sparked conversation on the Grammys red carpet when she wore a custom Andre Soriano gown embroidered with President Donald Trump‘s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again” down the front to pay tribute to the new commander-in-chief.
The 60th annual Grammy Awards, hosted by James Corden, were broadcast live on CBS from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
