Renewed outrage over Rihanna's Twitter banner with photoshopped MLK image
Singer, songwriter, and pop star Rihanna is being questioned by her fans for using a photoshopped image of Martin Luther King as her Twitter header. In the altered picture, MLK is shown sporting a gold grills as well as diamond earrings. Rihanna had updated her header with this image of MLK last February and it wasn't well-received. However, she refused to back down and hasn't changed it since then. American activist Martin Luther King's birthday was celebrated recently, which brought back the spotlight on Rihanna's controversial Twitter header once again.
Fans took note of the image and questioned her about it. Some people found it disrespectful and felt it demeaned Martin Luther King Jr's legacy. They felt the photoshopped image made him look like a rapper, which was unacceptable for someone who was a reverend and a legend. MLK is an important icon in American history, especially for African-Americans. A user tweeted, "Dear: @rihanna This is disrespectful. Take it down. As a non African American you have no idea what this man meant to us. He gave his life for ours. #mlk #MartinLutherKingJr"
Dear: @rihanna This is disrespectful. Take it down. As a non African American you have no idea what this man meant to us. He gave his life for ours. #mlk #MartinLutherKingJr
— Sweet Beans♋ (@BigAppleBaby) January 18, 2022
Fans ask Rihanna to 'change banner'
Fans bombarded Rihanna with messages, telling her she might be 'cancelled' if she didn't remove the controversial MLK image from her header. Here is a look at a few reactions and tweets by users on this particular controversy. One user tweeted: "Hey @rihanna could you change your banner doesn't show MLK in good taste," while another piped up saying, "Is #Rihanna trying to get canceled today" with 'puzzled face' emojis. A third user fumed saying, "#SymbolismMatters This is how @rihanna honors MLK to 104.1 million followers? Screams No Respect & IGNORANCE! So disappointed!"
Hey @rihanna could you change your banner doesn’t show MLK in good taste. pic.twitter.com/QCtOOdbtSn
— The Black Pragmatist (@Themindofmg) January 17, 2022
Is #Rihanna trying to get canceled today 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 #MLKDay #MLK #MLKDay2022 #Tether pic.twitter.com/EwxgqLRWn5
— #TheResistance (@BoneKnightmare) January 17, 2022
#SymbolismMatters This is how @rihanna honors MLK to 104.1million followers? Screams No Respect & IGNORANCE! So disappointed! #MLKDay #MLK
— MRay (@1776ADOS) January 18, 2022
Meanwhile, some fans didn't agree with the backlash calling it "fake outrage" and unnecessary. One user tweeted, "Folk been making club flyers for the last two decades on MLK day and now y'all wanna get mad at Rihanna for posting that...fake outrage is real. Plus that picture is mad old," while another said, "I don't know why people mad at @rihanna for just because she have a picture of #MLK with a grill on his teeth. But I don't see them going after other people that's posting up MLK with a du-rag. Smh keep doing you RiRi."
Folk been making club flyers for the last two decades on MLK day and now y'all wanna get mad at Rihanna for posting that...fake outrage is real. Plus that picture is mad old
— Lone Star Legend. 🇱🇷 (@TeeZeroHero) January 18, 2022
I don't know why people mad at @rihanna for just because she have a picture of #MLK with a grill on his teeth. But I don't see them going after other people that's posting up MLK with a du-rag. Smh keep doing you RiRi pic.twitter.com/txM5OGXM6e
— Eddie Nelson (@EddieNel_Real) January 18, 2022
Rihanna has recently released a series of promotional images for the Valentine's Day collection of her Savage X Fenty line. The 33-year-old pop star was seen donning a red bodysuit and fishnet stockings from her latest collection. The caption read, "Valentine’s Day is for me…. but you can watch #XXSAVAGEX @SavageXFenty" with a 'kissing face' emoji. The images were followed by a promotional video of her modeling the lingerie and applying a lip gloss from her Fenty Beauty collection. She captioned the video saying, "write me a love letter baby #XXSAVAGEX"
Valentine’s Day is for me….
— Rihanna (@rihanna) January 17, 2022
but you can watch 😘 #XXSAVAGEX @SavageXFenty pic.twitter.com/sG8JhwdSDN
write me a love letter baby #XXSAVAGEX pic.twitter.com/k9MQJp9hxw
— Rihanna (@rihanna) January 18, 2022
The official account for Savage X Fenty stated this to be its "first-ever" collaboration with Fenty Beauty. Savage X Fenty is described as a brand that "celebrates fearlessness, confidence, and inclusivity," and mentions that its "lingerie is for everyone."