The Super Bowl was a speck on the radar compared to Rihanna's grand comeback to music and her first solo performance in seven years. Music fans all over the country were waiting on February 12th for the Rihanna Concert, as it has been so aptly referred to. Since her announcement, fans have been excited about the performance and what she could surprise us with. And as always, she did not disappoint.
Photo Credits: Fox Screenshot
Within the first thirty seconds, she had every living room talking when she opened with her "Bitch Better Have My Money" while staring at the camera while rubbing her belly, clearly revealing her big surprise. The entire 13-minute performance spanning decades of her music perfectly encapsulated her greatest hits. It was a fun and captivating show, or karaoke sing-along if that's your vibe. While that was an incredible reveal and trending all over social media, many are missing the many other highlights of her performance.
Suspended in the air on a glass stage, alluding to the glass-ceiling shattering performance, Rihanna asserted her dominance the minute she took the stage. Any expectations fans had for the performance were challenged, and boy, were there a lot, from dropping new music or an album to a new business or an interesting fashion choice. But the most common expectation, and assumed to be a "given," was bringing out a guest. "Who would she bring out?!" was a question flooding the internet. What about her male collaborators like Drake for "Work" or Jay-Z for "Umbrella?" Instead, Rihanna gave us a performance proving she was enough and could take one of the biggest stages in history all by herself. She is one of the only women in history to have headlined the Super Bowl by herself, without any guests, and is now the only known-pregnant woman in history to headline.
Photo Credit: GMA
She also used her fashion as a statement. During her first pregnancy, Rihanna made headlines from her pregnancy announcement photo to her sheer Dior dress in Paris Fashion Week, proving maternity can be sexy. But for her Super Bowl performance, Rihanna donned a Loewe red jumpsuit with gloves and a puffer shawl. On a stage known to sexualize their female performers completely, Rihanna chose the opposite and covered up.
One thing Rihanna stans were not surprised to see was their favorite entrepreneur plugging in her brands by taking a minute to use her Fenty Beauty compact!
LONG STORY SHORT: Rihanna is rewriting history; she did not need a man or otherwise to lean on during her performance. She proved a woman, a pregnant woman, is capable of anything. She can wear what she wants, sings the songs she wants, and does not have to listen to anybody's expectations of who she should be or what she should do. Although fans are eager for a new album, that doesn't seem to be on the horizon anytime soon; either way, everyone will be patiently waiting.