Rihanna has sparked debate about gender roles and femininity after revealing that she dresses up before her boyfriend, rapper A$AP Rocky, comes home.
“My lazy days consist of throwing my sh*t up in a scrunchie. I always find myself wearing a scrunchie on my wrist. I want [my hair] out of the way,” the Love on the Brain singer told Vogue about her comfortable at-home hairstyle.
“I don’t want it to be on my kids when I lean forward. Just messy. But you still gotta keep it together, ’cause when Rocky comes home, I don’t want to look busted, either,” she added.
Rihanna revealed that she dresses up at home because she doesn’t want to look “busted” when she welcomes her boyfriend, rapper A$AP Rocky
Image credits: Dave Benett / Getty
“There’s the first half of the day, and then there’s the ‘dad’s coming home’ part of the day.”
The clip of the interview was re-shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) by user @kingsissel, who interpreted Rihanna’s comment as an expression of victimhood that she believes applies to all straight women.
“Part of being partnered with a male as a cis woman is losing so much of your autonomy to performance & objectification,” the user wrote.
“Never have I ever heard a male say he needs to dress up well in his own house to impress his lady. Never.
She added: “I’m saying women should not feel the need to perform femininity in the comfort of their homes & still be adored, desired & revered.”
The singer said she threw her hair up in a scrunchie during her “lazy days”
@kingsissel’s post received over 7.5 million views and thousands of comments. Most users disagreed that the situation described by the singer reflects gendered expectations of how women should look around their partners.
“Whenever I leave the house for any extended period of time, my husband makes sure he’s not only showered/groomed but also cleans some parts of the house, like mopping, dishes, etc.,” a woman shared.
“Girl so what?! What’s wrong with wanting to look presentable for your partner??” another wrote, while a separate user commented, “Or maybe she just wanted to look good for him because she enjoys it?”
“There’s the first half of the day, and then there’s the ‘dad’s coming home,”” Rihanna explained
Somebody else wrote that both men and women want to look attractive for their partners. “That’s because men ACT ON IT instead of just talking about it like women do. But TONS of men go out of their way to look good for women all the time.”
Another netizen shared an A$AP Rocky interview where he mentioned that he dresses nicely, gets manicures, and wears perfume “for women.”
The interview sparked discussion online after a user interpreted Rihanna’s words as a sign of women “losing their autonomy”
@voguemagazine #Rihanna? Looking busted? Never. And now with the launch of #Fenty ♬ original sound – Vogue
There were some users who agreed with @kingsisse. One of them commented, “It’s frustrating that so many women feel the need to dress up or perform, while men often don’t feel that pressure.
Another said, “Like clockwork, the women are defending it cos beauty is the one construct we can never let go of.”
In April, Rihanna told Interview Magazine that she often feels like she’s the unfashionable one in the relationship.
“I be feeling bummy as s**t next to this man,” she said. “I look like his assistant. I’m getting on a plane. We should be in sweats. He wants to be in a full Bottega suit. I’m like, ‘Why you got to do that to me?'”
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have been dating since 2019 and share two sons: ZSA and Riot
When asked if there was a fashion “competition” between them, the 36-year-old responded, “No. It’s more like I spend my time getting the kids dressed to death, and then I’m like, ‘What’s the most comfortable outfit to wear around them? What’s not going to feel uncomfortable on their face or on their body or make me feel like I can’t hold them properly?’ Moms are lazy dressers in real life.”
The pair officially began dating in 2019. They have two children: RZA and Riot Rose.
Rihanna Sparks Gender Role Debate After Saying She Dresses Up For ASAP Rocky At Home Bored Panda
