Met Gala honours pregnant Rihanna with ‘historic’ statue
The singer is expecting her first child with boyfriend A$AP Rocky
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and American Vogue have paid homage to Rihanna with a digital statue of the singer and business woman.
Already famed for her musical success and Fenty empire, the 34-year-old has been dominating headlines in recent months for her iconic bump-baring maternity style.
In January, Rihanna and her boyfriend, rapper A$AP Rocky, announced they were expecting their first child together.
She is believed to be approaching her due date, and has appeared heavily pregnant in recent photographs.
While the couple were notably absent from the Met Gala on Monday evening, the organisers chose to honour the mother-to-be with a video of a special statue in the museum’s Greek and Roman galleries.
It is believed to be a digital sculpture, with Vogue crediting animation studio ApeManRobot for the design.
The creation is based on Rihanna’s recent cover shoot for American Vogue’s May 2022 issue, which sees her dressed in a red Alaïa bodysuit.
“The statue of “Eirene (The Personification of Peace)” is usually the highest-profile marble goddess @themetmuseum Greco-Roman galleries,” the magazine wrote on Instagram, alongside a video of the carving.
“But now we’ve got @badgalriri, straight off this month’s Vogue cover,” it added.
Rihanna also shared the statue to her Instagram and Twitter, describing it as a “historic tribute”.
“Shut down the Met in marble! What’s more gilded than that? Lol!,” she said, referencing this year’s Met Gala theme, Gilded Glamour.
“Thank you @metmuseum and @voguemagazine for this historic tribute! Y’all bad for this one!”
The tribute has been praised by fans, many of whom said it further cements the singer’s “icon” status.
“[Rihanna] wasn’t even there and made a statement,” one Instagram user wrote.
“This really HISTORIH! My fave so iconic!” another said on Twitter.
“This is Rihanna’s world we just happen to live here,” a third person wrote.
Another said: “Me trying to drink my morning coffee, but Rihanna Robyn Fenty stepped on my neck.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments