Why Rihanna has been slammed as a 'racist' over her Vogue cover

Publish Date: Thursday, 9 August 2018, 2:05PM

Earlier this week Rihanna was published on the cover of Vogue, something that hasn't been done by a black woman before.

Rihanna makes history as first black woman to cover British Vogue’s September issue in the magazine’s 102 years of existence. pic.twitter.com/BjRnAOEak4
— M. (@MEENAVOGUEE) 2 August 2018

As well as celebrating the momentous occasion, fans noticed that something was different...

A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) on Aug 8, 2018 at 10:36am PDT

If you couldn't spot the difference, it's the stars eyebrows which have been penciled.

While not everyone was a fan for the sake of fashion, others were offended by the connotations behind the style.

Had a lot of ppl ask me to recreate Rihanna’s vogue cover so I’m currently working on that and it’s so fun but i feel so freaking crazy with these brows 😂 I literally bought a hat for my disguise when i leave to go to my photo studio lol
— Alissa Ashley (@alissa_ashleyy) 7 August 2018

In this article on Marie Claire, titled: 'I'm Latina, and I Find Rihanna's Skinny Brows Problematic' the author speaks of how Rihanna's 'chola' eyebrows are a polarizing gang affiliation sign.

And she isn't the only one that finds the fashion statement to be a double standard:

😩😩😩

A post shared by we are mitú (@wearemitu) on Jul 31, 2018 at 10:06am PDT

READ MORE:

Rihanna's Māori Tā moko is almost unrecognisable with the amount of extra ink she has

While some find them horrifically offensive, others are more supportive of the star, claiming that thin brows were popularised in the 1920's, a long time before 'cholas' claimed them.

What do you think?

Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you