Twitter is divided over whether Rihanna’s new Harper’s Bazaar cover is cultural appropriation
Just weeks after Kim Kardashian came under fire for naming her shapewear line “Kimono,” another celebrity is facing criticism for potential cultural appropriation. This time, the target is Rihanna, whose August 2019 cover for Harper’s Bazaar China left Twitter users divided.
The magazine shared pictures from the cover shoot on Instagram on July 8th. In the cover photo, Rihanna wears a blue gown with bell-shaped sleeves, and her hair is piled high with mini folding fans stuck in it. In another photo from the shoot, she sports long nails decked out with butterflies and flowers, and one photo even features a shih tzu. Throughout the series of pictures, her look borrows elements of Chinese cultural dress.
"There is always a brave truthfulness on Rihanna (@badgalriri)," the magazine wrote in its caption. "She doesn't care about judgments from others, justing keep in doing what she loves. After four years, Rihanna is back to be our cover star and again shows when western style icon meets eastern aesthetic."
The magazine tagged photographer Chen Man, as well as its fashion chief editor Wei Tian and editor-in-chief Simona Sha.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzrfhmthE9I
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzriKSThMeA
The cover shoot left many unsettled, however. On Twitter, some users argued that because Rihanna is not Chinese, she should not dress in a way that emulates Chinese culture.
i know we all love her, but why isn't this cultural appropriation? or is it and nobody cares bc it's rihanna? or is it just "fashion"? https://t.co/OxHsn3lvBm
— iris (@MariahajilE) July 9, 2019
false
if this was Kim Kardashian it would’ve been called cultural appropriation lol
— Luci (@nudebirkin) July 9, 2019
false
But other users felt that the cover was not a case of cultural appropriation because a Chinese editorial team had planned Rihanna’s outfit.
It’s not cultural appropriation because the entire team behind Harper’s Bazaar China is Chinese and it’s specificated in their Instagram post. THEY, Chinese people, dressed Rihanna like that. pic.twitter.com/AHhZjD89aN
— Durazno Chino (@duraznochino) July 9, 2019
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/1148676083526643712
false false
Some refuted the idea that the approval of a Chinese team made the outfit okay. false
Rihanna isn’t the first celebrity to face backlash for dressing in traditional clothing for a magazine shoot. In March 2018, Vogue India faced backlash for featuring Kardashian on its cover—and for pictures of her in a traditional garment called a lehenga.
It can be tricky to determine if something is cultural appropriation or if it’s a genuine instance of cultural exchange, and not every person from the same culture will share the same perception. Above all, we need to be mindful of this issue and listen to marginalized groups when they tell us we’re being insensitive.
