15 Iconic Rihanna Moments
Rihanna‘s penchant for the showy is not new news: In fact, her flamboyant attitude is a core part of her winning persona (just listen to her irresistible vocal delivery in “Work”). Over the years, the prolific, Barbados-born singer with the smoky-sultry voice, captivating looks and social media savvy has put body shamers in their place, downed shots (from a diamond flask) at the Grammys, shared her love of weed with the world and dominated every red carpet she’s graced.
Love or hate her, when Rihanna is doing her thing, it’s hard to look away. Here’s a snapshot of some of those memorable moments.
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Rihanna rolls a blunt on her bodyguard’s head
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty How’s that for being resourceful? Rihanna garnered plenty of admiring comments after she shared an image to social media back in 2012 of her creative way to roll a blunt amid a sweaty, packed crowd at Coachella. In the images, the singer looks seriously blissed out as she perches atop her security guard’s shoulders, using his smooth pate as a surface to roll a joint.
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Rihanna vs. Kevin Durant at NBA Finals
Image Credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Rihanna and the Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant stole the spotlight during an NBA finals game in June 2017 when the singer heckled the player from her courtside seat, reportedly calling out “Brick!” when he attempted free throws throughout the night. The songstress even shushed Warriors fans who booed her after she bowed to Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James with a dab and a dismissive wave of her hand.
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Rihanna silences fat shamers with perfect meme
Image Credit: Instagram.com/BadGalRiRi To those who dare think they can fat shame Rihanna: don’t. In June 2017, she caught wind of stories going around that she had gained a little weight, and took control of the narrative with one simple meme, of rapper Gucci Mane in 2007 and then again in 2017. “If you can’t handle me at my 2007 Gucci Mane you don’t deserve me at my 2017 Gucci Mane,” the meme reads. Amen.
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Rihanna sips from her diamond-encrusted flask at the Grammys
Image Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty The nominee didn’t care who saw when she brought a diamond-encrusted flask with her to the 2017 Grammys, stealing swigs in between musical performances and awards speeches. The ANTI creator’s devil-may-care attitude was a welcome presence at the star-studded awards, and she danced with her accessory during A Tribe Called Quest’s performance.
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Rihanna wears heart-shaped fur cape worth $15,500
Image Credit: Robert Kamau/GC Images Leave it to Rihanna to take a night out on the town to another level. The “Work” singer was spotted leaving New York City club 1Oak in September 2016 clad in denim cut-offs, a baseball cap and a bright-red Saint Laurent fur cape, which was valued at a whopping $15,500.
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Rihanna swerves Drake’s attempt to kiss her at VMAs
Image Credit: D Dipasupil/WireImage Rihanna is a lot of things, but a fool is not one of them. She deftly swerved away from Drake’s impending kiss when she accepted the 2016 MTV Video Vanguard award from her on-again, off-again beau and frequent collaborator on live TV, leaving him in a lurch after he candidly confessed to being in love with her since he was 22 years old. Cold! (Watch it go down around the 3:50 mark above.)
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Rihanna stuns on Met Gala red carpet in epic yellow fur-trimmed cape
Image Credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage For all of her free-time shenanigans, Rihanna is also a seasoned red carpet pro, and loves to push the limits with her fashion-forward daring. In particular, she star stunned at the 2015 Met Gala in a bright canary-yellow gown by Chinese designer Guo Pei, with a huge fur-trimmed cape the flowed behind her.
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Rihanna’s nearly-naked Swarovski gown at CFDA Awards
Image Credit: Rabbani and Solimene Photography/WireImage She exuded confidence (at one point twerking) in a sheer, clingy Adam Selman gown, studded with Swarovski crystals, at the 2014 CFDA Awards, where she was being honored with the Fashion Icon of the Year award.
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Rihanna briefly banned from Instagram over topless Lui magazine cover
In case you missed it, Rihanna’s NSFW magazine cover for Lui, and her decision to repost the image to her Instagram, got her temporarily banned from the social media platform back in April 2014. She reposted the photo to Twitter, which has more lenient nudity policies, and her fans rejoiced.
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Rihanna shows off a Vivienne Westwood penis clutch
Image Credit: RV/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images What wouldn’t she do in the name of art? The multi-platinum artist showed off her naughty clutch at an event in September 2013; the phallic piece was designed by punk-minded fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, who gave Rihanna the purse as a gift.
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Rihanna’s 777 tour leads to negative headlines
Image Credit: Simone Joyner/Getty Her bad! Rihanna took journalists with her aboard a chartered 777 jet on a supposedly once-in-a-lifetime globetrotting tour to promote her then-new album, Unapologetic, back in November 2012. The experience didn’t seem to be a great one for the vast majority of those who participated. Numerous journalists who took part in the ‘777’ tour reported feeling duped, and complained of not actually spending any time with the star. She later apologized.
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Rihanna dresses up as bride of Mary Jane for Halloween
Image Credit: Instagram.com/BadGalRiRi Because she can, that’s why! The weed-loving singer donned an all-green getup, complete with green veil and a bouquet of familiar-looking green leaves, for Halloween in October 2012, sparking many copycat brides in the night and years following. Once a trendsetter, always a trendsetter.
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Rihanna, Beyonce blow each other kisses at Grammys
Image Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Her antics at the 2017 Grammys were captured and chronicled in posts and tweets all throughout the night, but it was perhaps her tiny air kisses to fellow super-diva Beyonce that set off the biggest number of shocked reactions.
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Rihanna carries a wine glass wherever she goes
Image Credit: Jean Catuffe/Getty Again, because she can. The Grammy winner has been known to be photographed frequently with a filled wine glass in her hand, be it at an event, walking out on the street, or even walking to or from restaurants, as The Cut observed in July 2016. Our question: Where does she put the glass when she’s done sipping?
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Rihanna makes Crop Over festival the best thing ever
Image Credit: Instagram.com/BadGalRiRi Barbados’ most famous export is the indisputable queen of Crop Over, an annual harvest festival held on the island –and in 2017, she inspired another social media freakout with eye-popping photos of herself in a bedazzled bra top, colorful feathers, and teal-toned hair. Her stunning look even caught the eye of her controversial ex, Chris Brown, who commented on her Instagram with a pair of eyes emoji.