Rihanna Does Vogue
Uhh, winning.
But it was about time, American Vogue. Barbados-born siren and veteran magazine covergirl, Rihanna finally scored the coveted US Vogue cover—making her, per her own tweet, the youngest Black celeb ever to hold that crown.
Dripping in a Chanel couture barely-there lace dress, and flaunting her undeniable curves, Rih Rih is the focus of the magazine’s 10th annual—what else?— “Shape Issue.” After a decades-long drought of black and brown faces, starting with Oprah in the 1990’s, American Vogue eventually stepped into the new millennium. (Yes, Black girls give good mag, too.) More recent covers starring Black women featured Jennifer Hudson, Halle Berry, Beyonce, and, of course, first lady Michelle Obama, but Aquarius-Pisces cusp born Rihanna is the first to do a rendition of the mythical mermaid.
Appearing to rise up from the depths of the great blue sea and flanked by a heavenly blue sky, only the perfectly Photoshopped horizon (and Rihanna’s electric red hair) offer any other dash of color to the otherwise muted palette. Photographed by the famed Annie Leibowitz, Rihanna must feel like her star has truly risen. Say what you want about the songbird’s live performances. Her fashion photo shoots, this one notwithstanding, are simply marvelous.