We’re beginning to think “RiRi” stands for “real real,” because underneath the Killawatt highlighter, Rihanna always seems to keep it real with us. Taking a beat before her co-hosting gig at Monday’s 2018 Met Gala—aka the most anticipated fashion event of the spring—the singer, actress and entrepreneur took to her Instagram to show a little skin and express her anticipation for summer.
Of course, millions of fans flocked to see their idol’s latest offering, and instantly zeroed in on something unexpected: Rihanna’s—gasp—unshaven leg.
It was apparently the “Stars! They’re exactly like us!” moment many were needing on an otherwise slow weekday, because the crowds went wild with appreciation, swearing off shaving for the foreseeable future:
But wait, there’s more! A scroll through the multiple pics included on her post revealed another earth-shattering fact: Like so many other humans drawing breath at this very moment, Rihanna also has ... (wait for it) ... stretch marks!
This is probably around the time you’re wondering, “Why is this news?” We know we did. But when we really thought about it, there was far more to this than Rihanna’s big reveal that she is, in fact, human, and comfortable enough with herself not to be fastidiously groomed 24-7.
The fact is, most of us don’t enjoy that level of comfort with ourselves because of the pervasive expectation that women be smooth as a baby’s bottom from head to toe and in every crevice (which is a whole other post/psychoanalysis), and absent any flaws that might suggest they have more than 15 percent body fat.
Needless to say, with standards like that, most of us are set up to fail from jump, which is why, as absurd as it may seem, it is actually refreshing to see a megastar show that she is just like us (you know, minus that whole multimillion-dollar empire thing). In the ultracurated world of social media, it’s a rarity.
And while we have a feeling Rihanna’s going to be pretty smooth by the Met Gala, we get the message she’s sending loud and clear: No shade to Beyoncé, but you don’t have to be “flawless” to have your day in the sun.