Pop Star Rihanna Faces Backlash for Sporting a Ganesha Pendant in New Photo

      

Posted By - Marcia Kelsey

 

 

 

Image Credit – NME

 

Pop star Rihanna was recently seen wearing a diamond pendant in a photo that she published on her official Instagram account a few days ago.

Following the publishing, the singer has been facing numerous backlash from her Hindu audiences according to whom the picture she shared is disrespectful to their culture and religion. In the said Instagram photo, the queen of pop is seen wearing a diamond-studded pendant that is shaped into the likeness of the Hindu god of people, the elephant god or Ganesha.

Her Instagram post saw many comments where the singer is being blatantly accused of cultural appropriation for wearing such an elaborate pendant resembling the Indian deity.

One fan pointed out her pendant saying that what she is wearing is a representation of their deity of the Indian culture. The fan says that the artist has already culturally appropriated her wardrobe in the picture.

A fan wrote that it is extremely ignorant on Rihanna’s part to not have gathered the required information or resource behind the actual meaning and significance of the pendant that she sported around her neck.

Another fan directly asked the singer to stop using his or her religion as part of her aesthetics. The fan also explained that the Ganesha figure that she was seen wearing around her neck and that too casually is a holy and sacred figure for all the Hindus out there.

One fan was bold enough to point out that Rihanna many have worn that specific pendant on purpose in order to get back at the recent feud because of one of her Tweets. Her tweet was to draw the attention of the global audience towards the ongoing farmers’ protest currently happening in India.

The fans on Instagram wrote that the picture could not have been a coincidence as it occurred right after she expressed her support for the farmer protest.

The singer joined the likes of Greta Thunberg in supporting the farmers protesting in India who were currently voicing their opinion against the controversial new agricultural laws that have been imposed by the ruling government.

This issue came to light after she attacked yet another controversy in October last year when she used a song that sampled traditional Islamic texts in the Savage x Fenty fashion show.

The said song is called ‘Doom’ which is produced by London-based Coucou Chloe. The song included a remixed verse from the Hadith. It is considered to be a record comprising of narratives of the direct sayings of Prophet Muhammad and his followers.

However, she later apologized for the song choice and said that featuring the song was an honest and careless mistake.

Setting aside these controversies, Rihanna is soaring high in her career and living her best entrepreneur life. It was reported only earlier this week that the singer’s lingerie brand Savage x Fenty is now worth $1 billion (£719m).

NME has contacted the singer’s representatives for comments.