Rihanna faces accusations of disrespect towards Christians and Catholics following her portrayal as a provocative nun on the spring cover of Interview Magazine.
In the magazine's issue titled "Rihanna Is Ready To Confess," the singer is depicted wearing a black and white habit, revealing her cleavage with an unbuttoned blouse. Her makeup is striking, featuring light blue eyeshadow, red lips, and a small cross drawn on her cheek.
However, for some, delving into the hitmaker's career or personal revelations wasn't the priority. Instead, they honed in on what they saw as a religious affront.
"All of these big stars have been at full force mocking God in some form or fashion, especially over the last few years. It's sickening," a critic wrote.
"It is mockery and disrespectful. It's not even cute or sexy! As a supposed believer, she should know better," another person penned.
A third person said: "I am not Christian, but this is ridiculous. If you can't respect, then don't mock."
"There are some things that you just don't play with, and this is one of them," a separate social media user agreed.
Conversely, some fans rushed to the defense of the "Love On The Brain" singer, asserting her right to self-expression without constraints.
"Can you guys stop canceling people for 5 minutes?" someone wrote.
"A costume that we've all seen before every Halloween? You can buy sexy nun costumes everywhere. Is there anything that doesn't trigger you people?" another user expressed.
Numerous social media users have taken offense at her appearance, viewing her style as contradictory to her professed religious beliefs.
Simultaneously, many pointed out that previous pop icons like Madonna have embraced similarly controversial styles. "Madonna did this years ago… It's ok, you'll get over it."
"To the haters: WOMP WOMP. You look good, RiRi!!!!" an additional fan said.
The mother-of-two, a self-identified Christian, has previously emphasized the significance of her faith.
In a conversation with her "Ocean's 8" co-star Sarah Paulson for Interview Magazine in 2019, Rihanna disclosed that she begins each day with prayer. Furthermore, the Grammy winner affirmed that she has always been a person of deep faith.
"My first time praying and fasting was when I was 7 years old. I did that on my own because I wanted to go to New York, and I knew that this was a sacrifice I had to make in order for God to make sure I could get there," she said.
When queried about whether she had experienced feelings of abandonment by God, the 36-year-old vocalist offered her response. "Not my faith, but I have been in a place where I felt like maybe I had disappointed God so much that we weren't as close. Actually, that happened to me while I was making 'Anti' [her eighth album ]. That was a really hard time, but thank God, I got through it."
In her most recent interview, the Barbadian sensation discussed her partnership with rapper A$AP Rocky. The duo are parents to two sons: Riot Rose, aged eight months, and RZA, born in 2022.
Their initial connection stemmed from shared creative passions and unwavering encouragement for each other's professional endeavors.
"We saw fashion the same. We saw creative [sic] the same. We ended up in the same circles a lot. And past that, when we grew up, we ended up supporting each other's brands, products, and creative [sic] all the time," she explained.
Acknowledging the potential hazards of transitioning from friends to partners, Rihanna was cognizant of the risks it posed to their established bond. Nonetheless, she embraced the opportunity.
"We've known each other for a long time. I've seen him in relationships. He's seen me in relationships. We've seen each other outside of relationships. We knew what we're capable of, and the trouble that we could bring to each other's lives," the "Umbrella" singer said.
"We can make or break each other's hearts. And so, we started dating with a lot of caution."
"It was just, 'This is a flower. It's either going to die or blossom. But I'm going to let it decide itself.'"
