Rihanna has been accused of cultural appropriation and “sexualising people’s religion for clout” after she posted a new photo of herself on Instagram.
The star shared the photo on Monday (February 15) to promote the satin boxers made by her lingerie brand Savage X Fenty. In the topless pic, she wore a lilac pair of the underwear and a range of jewellery, including a necklace that appeared to be of the Hindu god Ganesha.
After spotting the necklace, some fans criticised Rihanna in the comments. “Rihanna, wearing an Indian deity is not fashion, it’s not a trend, it’s about respecting Indian communities,” wrote one person.
“As a non Hindu, posing with a Ganesh necklace on this day to your thousands of non Hindu followers inadvertently gives them the permission to also see that Ganesh necklace as nothing more than a decoration, when to many others there’s a stronger meaning behind it,” said another.
Another commenter wrote: “Can we stop sexualising people’s religion for clout. I just don’t understand the purpose of having a necklace with lord Ganesh as part of a lingerie campaign.” Others echoed their thoughts, telling Rihanna their culture and religion is not her “costume” or “aesthetic”.
It’s not the first time the singer has been accused of cultural appropriation. Last year, she was criticised for using a song that features an Islamic hadith in her Savage X Fenty fashion show. Hadiths are traditions and sayings from the Prophet Muhammad, which are used as guidance by Islamic people.
Rihanna later apologised for using the song, calling it a “huge oversight” and an “honest, yet careless mistake”. “We understand that we have hurt many of our Muslim brothers and sisters, and i’m incredibly disheartened by this!” she continued.
“I do not play with any kind of disrespect toward God or any religion and therefore the use of the song in our project was completely irresponsible! Moving forward we will make sure nothing like this ever happens again.”
Rihanna has not yet responded to the latest cultural appropriation criticisms made against her at the time of writing.
