Rihanna has once again found herself at the center of an online debate after sharing a new Savage X Fenty campaign on Friday, July 31.
The singer and businesswoman posed in a black-and-white lace lingerie set while holding a stop sign, completing the look with sparkling diamonds worth well over $160,000.
While many fans praised the campaign, others criticized the revealing photos, arguing that Rihanna’s image has changed since becoming a mother of three.
Highlights
- Rihanna sparked debate after modeling a black lace Savage X Fenty lingerie set.
- Critics argued the singer's image should change now that she's a mother of three.
- Despite the online debate, Rihanna has continued to defend self-expression.
"Riri, I love you, but you should stop dressing this way. Young girls are looking up to you as their mentor and role model,” wrote one commenter.
Rihanna’s latest Savage X Fenty campaign quickly divided fans
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Rihanna shared several campaign photos on Instagram to promote the latest Savage X Fenty collection.
The Grammy winner posed in a black-and-white lace bra, matching briefs, a garter belt, thigh-high stockings and black stilettos while holding a red stop sign.
She completed the look with several expensive diamond pieces, including a Fernando Jorge ring valued at about $42,000 and a vintage-inspired necklace by The Back Vault featuring more than 40 carats of Old European diamonds, reportedly worth $123,500.
Many of Rihanna’s tattoos were visible throughout the shoot. However, fans noticed that one tattoo was missing: her newest leg ink, which she previously revealed had been “designed” by her three children- RZA, Riot, and Rocki.
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The campaign also continued Rihanna’s habit of modeling her own lingerie instead of hiring someone else to front the brand.
Earlier this month, she appeared in another Savage X Fenty campaign wearing a hot pink lace minidress, followed by a butter-yellow lingerie set.
Her brand has also continued bringing in other well-known faces.
Last month, Vivian Wilson, Elon Musk’s daughter, fronted the company’s Pride campaign.
Away from fashion, Rihanna recently returned to the stage for the first time in years during Jay-Z’s anniversary concert at New York’s Yankee Stadium.
While performing Run This Town, she told the crowd, "I missed this s—t, y'all! New York, I love you guys!"
Although many fans praised the new campaign, others said Rihanna should stop modeling her own lingerie
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Several commenters focused on the fact that Rihanna is now a mother of three and should no longer be the face of such revealing advertisements.
One person wrote, "Riri, I love you, but you should stop dressing this way. Young girls are looking up to you as their mentor and role model; you really should try and adjust to that role."
Another questioned whether Rihanna had changed her views after previously saying she had moved on from certain types of photoshoots.
One said, "Lady Riri, I thought you said you're done with doing things like this...?"
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Others argued she should let professional models promote the products instead. One critic commented, "Get a model to advertise your products, you're a mother now."
Another added, "You could go to the sh*ttiest str*p club in town on a Wednesday afternoon and find a better looking woman."
However, not everyone agreed with the backlash.
One supporter said, "Advertising queen,” while another wrote, "I love how comfortable and confident Savage X Fenty makes me feel every time I wear it."
Apparently, this is not the first time Rihanna has faced backlash over a Savage X Fenty photoshoot
Image credits: rihanna/X
In April 2026, she promoted the brand’s Monamour bridal collection, posing in bright red floral lingerie, lace-up heels, and a garter skirt with a circular cutout that exposed part of her body.
The campaign immediately divided social media.
One person wrote, "This isn't empowerment, it's just desperate marketing,” while another said, "Why is a married woman with kids dressing like this?"
Others questioned whether her children would one day see the photos.
Image credits: rihanna/X
"Imagine your kids will one day see these pictures. Their friends will also see this."
Some also argued that Rihanna no longer needed to appear in such campaigns herself, with one writing, "Get a model to do that."
"She's a mom now, and we love her but this ain't it,” wrote one more netizen.
However, many fans defended her, with one saying, "Been savage all her life! And she's a mother by the way."
Days before the campaign, Rihanna was criticized over her daughter’s first magazine cover
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The latest debate came only days after Rihanna introduced her youngest child, Rocki Irish Mayers, on the cover of W Magazine, as reported by Bored Panda.
The singer posed with her seven-month-old daughter while both wore Dior Haute Couture.
One detail quickly caught fans’ attention.
Rocki appeared wearing a custom Dior diaper, something creative director Jonathan Anderson later confirmed had been specially made for the photoshoot.
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He said, "When Rihanna asks for something, she is already ahead of what is happening."
While many fans loved seeing Rihanna and her daughter together, others questioned whether such a young child should appear in a luxury fashion campaign.
One person commented, "We do not need another celebrity using their literal baby as a high-fashion prop just to sell magazine covers."
Another asked, "Now why the hell would you publicize a baby like that?"
Another Savage X Fenty campaign sparked claims that Rihanna had edited her body
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Back in January 2026, she unveiled Savage X Fenty's Valentine's Day collection, Love So Savage: A Modern Ode to Aphrodite, posing in red lace lingerie and a black floral set surrounded by marble statues and gardens, as reported by Bored Panda.
Almost immediately, some viewers stopped talking about the lingerie and focused on Rihanna's appearance instead.
Several people claimed the campaign had been heavily edited.
One Reddit user wrote, "Riri is beautiful, but she is not built like this."
Another commented, "They completely distorted her body with Photoshop."
Image credits: badgalriri/Instagram
Some pointed to what they believed were unusual proportions.
One person asked, "Is her face actually that small and her a** that big?” while another added, "There's a weird indent under her a**... It's so clearly not her natural body."
Others said they were disappointed because Savage X Fenty had built its reputation on showing real bodies with little or no retouching.
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One commenter wrote, "She looked good before babies and looks amazing after. It would be nice to show a just-had-three-babies body."
Speaking about lingerie, Rihanna previously told People, "Lingerie, to me, should be worn any way and anywhere that you want."
She added that people should wear it however it makes them feel comfortable, whether it is visible under clothing or worn only for themselves.
Despite the constant backlash, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have continued focusing on family life
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Away from social media debates, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have frequently spoken about raising their children together.
The couple, who officially began dating in 2020, now share three children- RZA, Riot, and Rocki Irish.
Earlier this year, Rocky revealed that his mother had been hoping he would end up with Rihanna long before they became a couple.
"My mother used to say... 'I want you with RiRi,'" he said in a January episode of the New York Times podcast Popcast.
At the time, he admitted he never believed it would happen.
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"That girl don't even want me like that."
Looking back now, he says everything happened at the right time.
"I'm thankful that she was put in my life."
Rocky also told W Magazine that becoming a mother has changed Rihanna. "She has changed a lot because she became a mother."
Even so, he said one thing has remained the same. He said, "This woman has always been magic."
He described Rihanna as "The most charming and genuine person on Earth. Her energy is unmatched."
Rihanna has shared similar thoughts about Rocky.
Image credits: John Shearer/WireImage
During a previous interview with Harper's Bazaar, she said the best thing about him is watching him with their children.
"The greatest thing about him is seeing him be a dad."
She admitted she sometimes jokingly feels jealous because the children seem to adore their father.
"I'm annoyed because my sons sometimes just live for him more than they live for me."
She then laughed before adding, "But when I see it... it's the best."
"You're a mother of small children now," wrote one netizen
