Rihanna performs at the Concert for Valor in Washington, D.C., in 2014. Image courtesy of WikiMedia Commons.
By Jahnavi Pradeep ’23
Staff Writer
Rihanna is a cultural icon of the 21st century. Her list of successes is practically limitless, garnering her credentials beyond the titles of singer and actress through her pursuits as a businesswoman, philanthropist and humanitarian. Rihanna has been named by The New York Times as one of the 100 most influential people in the world twice, in 2012 and 2018. In particular, her Savage X Fenty lingerie line, as well as Fenty Beauty, her cosmetics brand, have received notable recognition.
A New York Times article dubbed her lingerie line a “body-positivity bash — now with men’s underwear and a meditation on sexuality.” The article went on to discuss how her lingerie shows marked a move toward embracing diversity: “The Savage x Fenty show ushered in a new era of lingerie, replacing the airbrushed fantasy of Victoria's Secret sexiness with a forceful display of inclusivity.”
However, Rihanna’s cultural icon status is something of a paradox. Her embrace of diversity is accompanied by actions that contradict her ideals. Rihanna, on numerous occasions, has been a perpetrator of cultural appropriation, especially with her beauty and lingerie lines. While we can laud her for her progressive approach in terms of size, color and sexuality, we must not let this obscure her otherwise problematic position regarding Orientalism and cultural appropriation.
Rihanna’s forays into cultural appropriation could be seen back in 2020, when she came under fire for using Hadiths as part of the music for her lingerie show. “Doom,” created by Coucou Chloe, remixed a Hadith that talks about Judgment Day. This song played in the background while models strutted down the runway in their lingerie. Hadiths are sacred and religous texts in Islamic cultures containing the actions and words of Prophet Muhammad. They are not decorative words or lyrics to be used as an aesthetic during events like lingerie shows. They do not reflect Rihanna’s reach toward diversity and the inclusion of all voices.
Following great outrage, Savage X Fenty and Rihanna released a statement of apology and replaced the song track. According to CNN, they stated, “We have nothing but the utmost respect and love for the Muslim community. All Fenty brands have been founded on the notion of inclusivity and respect to all, and this was an unfortunate mistake on our part. We will be vigilant going forward to ensure this is never repeated.”
The irony of the statement was that this sort of mistake was indeed repeated — more than once. In March 2021, Fenty Beauty released a new shade of red highlighter called “Geisha Chic.” Geishas, as per Japanese tradition, refer to women who work as professional entertainers. The brand’s casual usage of this phrase for a highlighter ignores the history behind it and the meaning it carries in Japanese culture. The resulting outcry from members of the public pointed out that the term erases the oppressive history of geishas and caters to Western palettes. Fenty Beauty issued an apology, with Rihanna herself making no statement this time.
Rihanna’s attempts to be inclusive often come in the form of taking advantage of someone else’s culture. It appears as though her efforts at inclusivity are still catered toward Western audiences with little regard to the actual cultural weight of the people she is attempting to include. This surface-level attempt only ends up being disrespectful and racist.
Similarly, in February 2021, Rihanna herself posed topless while sporting a Ganesha pendant on her neck. Ganesha, an elephant-headed Hindu deity, is largely worshipped in India as the remover of obstacles. Along with many other Hindu symbols, Ganesha has long been culturally appropriated by the West: Beach shirts, tattoos and other merchandise often include these symbols. Rihanna’s move only furthers this history and works to sexualize a sacred god in Hindu religion. This time, there was no apology at all.
The main problem here is that, while Rihanna purports to be a champion of inclusivity and diversity, her actions fall short of many of her claims. Additionally, her dealings with cultural appropriation have not just been one-off occurrences, but a long list of repeated actions. When we dub her a cultural icon of inclusivity and progress, we accept her actions as embodiments of this goal of progress, which they are not. This is why, while we laud Rihanna, we must equally talk about her shortcomings, working to ensure she is not allowed to indulge in cultural appropriation again without ramifications.