Rihanna has drawn the ire of the internet again, angering members of the Hindu community by sharing a recent topless picture of herself wearing a deity necklace.
Posting what she likely considered as a harmless thirst trap, Rihanna shared a topless picture of herself on the balcony, using her arm to cover her bust. She quoted Popcaan in her caption and rocked a pair of satin shorts from her lingerie collection. Around her neck were several necklaces, including a diamond-studded pendant with the Hindu god Ganesha.
"You’re wearing a deity necklace and a Murthi [image of a deity] of my culture that’s already been culturally appropriated enough," wrote one person in her comments section. "How is this OK when a person has more than enough resources to at least find out the meaning and significance of the chains and the pendant around their neck?"
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The sentiment has been echoed across the internet as thousands of people speak up about Rihanna's picture, accusing her of cultural appropriation for the second time in less than a year.
Last year, Rihanna issued an apology after using an Islamic hadith as the soundtrack to her Savage X Fenty fashion show. "I'd like to thank the Muslim community for pointing out a huge oversight that was unintentionally offensive in our savage x fenty show," she said in October 2020. "I would more importantly like to apologize to you for this honest, yet careless mistake. We understand that we have hurt many of our Muslim brothers and sisters, and i'm incredibly disheartened by this! 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."
This is yet another incident that people are calling her out for, which doesn't look good for the billion-dollar beauty. We'll keep you posted on Rihanna's response to this matter when/if it comes.