HOW TO GO CRAY: RIHANNA’S UAE PIX
The internet’s been going cray in the wrong way regarding Rihanna’s UAE tour stop. Yes we follow badgalriri on Instagram, and when we saw the pics, we looked at them, maybe took a mental note that Rihanna was in UAE, thought about if we’d wear that, and kept scrolling. I honestly didn’t even screenshot it because they’re tourist pics and I been had pics of Rihanna veiled. Given our apathy, the amount of internet attention being given to these posts are almost comical to us.
Most of the comments being made aren’t insightful because they either scold Riri for supporting “oppressive or terrorist Islam,” or find her sexiness offensive to the culture. The former critique is obviously Islamophobic *coughcough*Femen*cough*, and the latter critique takes itself too seriously. This isn’t Lady Gaga wearing a pink mesh blanket, capitalizing off the veil and stabbing its meaning in the back by telling boys to see what’s inside. Rihanna’s covering up in the UAE at a mosque that is open to visitors including non-Muslims and allows photographs, and that’s exactly why the “shes-offending-us-with-sexiness” critique seems out of touch with local youth subcultures who ARE vogue and most definitely incorporate sexy femininity into their modest outfits via heavy make-up, heavy brand accessorizing, and bejewelled hijabs. This isn’t to say Rihanna hasn’t done some sus things with fashion (her Princess of China video, her unattributed cooptation of the #ghettogoth movement), but I’m happy she’s interested enough to tour in the Middle East and engage with modesty in ways that her self-proclaimed skin-embracing Barbadian self would not do for people in the U.S. As homegirl Safy-Hallan Farah wrote:
I actually really love how Rihanna’s like complying and loving it. I feel someone like IDK LORDE would have been like “THIS COUNTRY IS SO MISOGYNISTIC.” I mean, it is a sexist place but it’s a kind of sexism I’m comfortable with, having grown up being “modest.” I don’t agree with the fact that they’d make any woman cover up, but Rihanna’s trying to get that A-RAB MONEY and she’s also just down as hell and willing to comply with customs she may not ordinarily comply with. I honestly love the photos and her captions.
I couldn’t agree more. Rihanna’s pics see women in the UAE the same way she sees herself and her friends. Joking around in her typical sarcastic hashtags, calling them fashion killaz, etc.
This article from DailyMail (lol) TRIES to front like they are culturally sensitive by saying Rihanna still danced sexy in the UAE, so it ruined her cred. DO THESE PEOPLE NOT REALIZE THAT THE MIDDLE EAST PRACTICALLY INVENTED SEXY HIP DANCING? Do they not realized that Dubai youth throw house parties where they twerk in ways Rihanna would dream of?? Besides, her KTZ supplied outfit (pictured above) is a staple in her wardrobe outside of this show and does not essentialize modesty to one religion or region of the world. The only proper review is the one from Gulf News, whichonly mentions her outfits or dancing to say they wish they saw more outfit changes, and more impressive moves.
FOR THOSE WHO REALLY JUST NEED TO WORRY ABOUT SOMETHING:
1) If you wanna care about fashion: worry about safe and fair labor, and not appropriating designs from groups of people, stripping them of meaning, and not empowering the original community in any way.
2) If you wanna care about the Middle East and the UAE: worry about how we demonize Middle Eastern countries in American foreign policy, and stereotype all their people together in the American psyche. Worry about contextualizing the UAE particularly for having questionable tactics to compete in international markets to the point of desaturating any sense of culture for recognition (eg. nightclubs and resorts popping up to accommodate increasing amounts of tourists, constant development, obsession with world records, extreme wealth gap, working class almost entirely from overseas).
3) If you wanna care about Rihanna: analyze her sense of self in the face of demands and expectations in an industry geared towards sexualization for the sake of capitalization.
Thanks!
I appreciate your comment. No matter how the local teens behave Ms. Rihanna was a guest in their country and she would have done well to have contacted the Mosque ahead of time and asked questions. She was at a place of worship. I would prefer not to label her behavior; but, she could have shown more international etiquette.
Hello Manisha,
First of all, thanks for reading and for engaging with us! If you click the links on the post (like this one), you’ll find that we link to the mosque’s website. Although it is a place of worship, it is a tourist destination that is open to the public by the country and photography is allowed- there is no need to contact ahead of time. As someone who personally has been in the UAE, people do not abide by dress codes- showing up to religious places in tank tops and shorts with shawls wrapped around themselves. I think the point is that the country itself has opened a place of worship to the potential for un-sacred activities and that’s where action should be taken. Rihanna has an international lens of scrutiny 24/7 so it’s easier to pick on her and not the millions of tourists who desecrate religious sites in that region on the regular– but they can’t afford to kick all those people out because that’s what the economy in the UAE relies heavily on.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge of the UAE. I have not been; therefore, do not have first hand experience. I would rest on this thought. Since she is a visitor and guest, I believe it is important to respect what they want. As an outsider we might not always understand the motivations of another group of people, but when in their country, we may have to do things we might not always understand/agree with. I guess it comes down to “their country, their rules”. The tables are a bit turned, someone from the west having to adjust to someone from the Middle East. It is an exercise in humility.