Rihanna on the Internet’s Body-Shaming Culture: ‘I Know When I’m Having a Fat Day’ /d
Rihanna sparked a cultural conversation on inclusivity in the beauty industry when she released her groundbreaking 40-shade foundation range in her Fenty Beauty makeup line. And she’s about to break barriers again with her new lingerie collection, Savage x Fenty. In anticipation of the big release next week (May 11), she opened up to Vogue (and graced the cover, again!) to talk all about lingerie and how she’s making her line strikingly different from everything else in the industry.
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The most important factor when designing her lingerie line was making it size-inclusive. In Instagram posts teasing the collection, she showed off her designs on models of all shapes and sizes. She’s even modeled her new lines, and addressed the culture of Internet body-shaming in her interview with Vogue.
“You’ve just got to laugh at yourself, honestly. I mean, I know when I’m having a fat day and when I’ve lost weight. I accept all of the bodies,” she told Vogue. “I’m not built like a Victoria’s Secret girl, and I still feel very beautiful and confident in my lingerie.”
And after receiving an overwhelming response from fans (and celebrities!) who got emotional when they saw foundations in their skin tones available in stores, she knew she was going to incorporate a diverse shade range in her collection of nude lingerie too.
“As a black woman, I could not live with myself if I didn’t do that,” she said about producing a wide range of shades for Fenty Beauty. “But what I didn’t anticipate was the way people would get emotional about finding their complexion on the shelf, that this would be a groundbreaking moment.”
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MERT ALAS AND MARCUS PIGGOTT/VOGUE
Incorporating these inclusive design details in her lingerie line is a very important aspect to Rihanna, because she’s actually experienced the frustration of the lack of nude undergarments herself.
She’s said in the past that her only regret in life is not wearing a bedazzled thong under her infamous sheer Adam Selman gown that she wore to accept her Fashion Icon Award in 2014. But in her new interview, she revealed that she regrets not going with bedazzling because the “nude” thong she wore underneath was “not my nude,” she said.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(734x0:736x2):format(webp)/june-cover-1-2000-70eb9a1d0e1d4bccba88065704d93e06.jpg)
MERT ALAS AND MARCUS PIGGOTT
Now, she’s not only allowing others to feel comfortable in nude designs that match their skin tone, she’s empowering women like never before. “Savage is really about taking complete ownership of how you feel and the choices you make. Basically making sure everybody knows the ball is in your court,” she said. “As women, we’re looked at as the needy ones, the naggy ones, the ones who are going to be heartbroken in a relationship. Savage is just the reverse. And you know, guys don’t like getting the cards flipped on them—ever.”
Rihanna Reigns in Couture, Cleavage-Baring (And Jaw-Dropping) Gown at Valerian London Premiere
As Rihanna inspires more and more women with her makeup and lingerie lines to help them feel comfortable and confident, you may be wondering who she looks up to — the answer will definitely surprise you.
“Tell me who is a badder b—h than Lisa Vanderpump! She’s goals AF,” she said citing The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules star as her ultimate girl crush. “She’s chic but still funny. She likes to be at home with her husband and then goes and handles her business. Maybe there’s a couple of thousand Birkins in her closet, but she’s still focused. I love that about her.”
