Rihanna flirts with risque religious imagery on Interview Magazine cover
Rihanna is stirring up plenty of commentary with another head-turning look, this time on the cover of Interview Magazine.
Shot by Nadia Lee Cohen, the image for the cover story, titled "Rihanna is Ready to Confess," features the multi-hyphenate star in a stripped-down nun look that includes an oversized white shirt slipping down off one shoulder and full habit. Channeling both the '90s and Betty Boop aesthetics, her makeup look includes glossy red lips, bold blue eyeshadow and pencil-thin brows to set off her kohl-rimmed eyes.
Comments on Interview's Instagram post promoting the cover were largely critical, with many people calling the look "unholy" and "disrespectful," many claiming the singer was mocking Christianity. But Rihanna hinted in the interview, conducted by her former stylist and Interview Editor-in-Chief Mel Ottenberg, that her spirituality remains intact.
When Ottenberg asked how many children Rihanna plans to have, the singer responded, "As many as God wants me to have."
The rest of the conversation pinballed between casual and deeper observations in the fun way only two old friends can have, with Ottenberg going off-script by tossing out his team's questions and instead diving into their shared history.
Images accompany the story showing a much less glamorous side to Rihanna, including shots with blotchy, over-powdered makeup and wigs sliding off her head, as well as a few featuring glossy, minimal eye makeup and bleached eyebrows.
Rihanna posted the images to her personal Instagram, captioning one particularly un-glamorous shot, "literally how i feel in postpartum with 2 under 2."
Octavia Spencer chimed in beneath the post with her support, commenting, "You're still slaying it. Some of us are living peri and meni extremes!!! So, we need to remember to cut our fellow sisters some slack and lift each other up when we can."
This isn't the first time the singer has flirted with Catholic imagery. She famously donned a Maison Margiela bustier dress, coat and bishop's hat (also called a mitre) -- all dripping in jewels and pearls -- for the "Heavenly Bodies"-themed Met Gala in 2018 where she acted as co-host for the evening.
Margiela's creative director John Galliano designed the look himself, and it reportedly took more than 750 hours to construct and bejewel at the Maison Margiela Atelier in Paris.
Looks like this and more are what make Rihanna one to watch each year at the Met. With 2024's "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" gala just under a month away, we can't wait to see what she wears next.
