Rihanna’s trending online, and it’s not because she’s released a new album or some new Fenty goodies. On February 15th, the popstar-turned-fashion-mogul posted a picture of herself wearing silky lilac boxer shorts (limited edition, Savage X, since sold out) and not much else – except for jewellery, which seems to include a pendant depicting Hindu deity Ganesha.
Uproar was swift, with the offending tweet currently at more than 11k replies and counting. Many twitter users felt the image’s sexuality was disrespectful considering the pendant’s religious significance, and others still accused Rihanna of cultural appropriation. ‘Ri...we love u but that necklace is not it...’ wrote user TUSHAR, while titania quoted the tweet to comment ‘funfact: religions aren’t aesthetics’.
Meanwhile, on Instagram, outrage was similarly rife. ‘Disappointed riri Ganesha is not a decoration piece to use for an aesthetic! Give the same respect to someone else’s religion as you would your own’ wrote user Vimishaa, and Anubisanu posted ‘Thanks for disrespecting my Hindu culture by wearing Ganesha's pendant and posing like that👏👏👏’.
With India’s farmer protests in the international spotlight during recent months, many leapt to connect Rihanna’s perceived disrespect to biased coverage of the deity’s origin country. Others posted about the star’s history of cultural appropriation controversies, citing her cover shoot with Harper’s Bazaar China in 2019 – where she was pictured in various outfits and accessories referencing Chinese culture (including lotus flowers, dragonflies, and perhaps most memorably, with a shih tzu dog) – and use of a song by Coucou Chloe including Islamic verse for a Savage X Fenty fashion show last year.
Last week it was noted that she had spoken out about the farmers’ protests in India, posting a link to an article about an imposed internet service blockage around New Delhi early this month.
Rhi has yet to comment on the backlash, but when addressing the outcry over Coucou Chloe’s song in 2020, Rihanna explained that ‘I do not play with any kind of disrespect toward God or any religion’ and described her decision to use the track as an ‘honest yet careless mistake.’ Hey, we all make them – it's up Rihanna’s fans to decide whether they'll grant her a second (second) chance.
Rihanna Apologises For Using Islamic Verse At Fenty Lingerie Fashion Show