Rihanna topless photo angers Hindu community over depiction of deity Ganesha
Popstar Rihanna has angered a lot of people in the Hindu community in her latest attempt to draw attention to the current farmers’ civil unrest happening in India.
On Monday, the singer shared a topless photo of herself while wearing a necklace that depicts one of the religion’s most respected deities. She captioned the photo with a quote from the Jamaican artist Popcaan’s song “Naked.”
“When @popcaanmusic said ‘me nuh wan ya wear no lingerie tonight fa me girl,’” she wrote.
In the photo, which appears on her social media accounts, she uses her arm to cover her breasts as well as to show off some purple accented jewelry including a bracelet, dangling earrings. the fact that she was naked wasn’t the problem, but she also wore a ring and a diamond-studded chain pendant with a carving of the Hindu god Ganesha.
In Hinduism, Ganesha (also known as Ganesh, Ganapati, and Vinayaka) is the god of beginnings and the remover of obstacles. Most depictions of Ganesha show the deity with multiple arms and the head of an elephant. It is often synonymous with wisdom, success, and intellect.
“rihanna !! stop using my religion as an aesthetic !! that ganesh figurine at the end of the chain 🙁 is a holy and sacred figure for us Hindus,” one Twitter user wrote.
“Is no one gonna talk about her wearing a Ganesha necklace? (a Hindu God),” a commenter on Instagram added.
when @PopcaanMusic said “me nuh wan ya wear no lingerie tonight fa me girl” @SavageXFenty pic.twitter.com/bnrtCZT7FB
— Rihanna (@rihanna) February 15, 2021
“SHES LITERALLY WEARING A GANESHA NECKLACE WTF MY RELIGION IS NOT YOUR AESTHETIC,” another commenter wrote.
“Adding a ganesha locket isnt something that is for the aesthetic. Ganesha is a god worshipped with a lot of devotion and this is culturally appropriating and also hurting the religious sentiments of a lot of Hindus!” an Instagram commenter concluded.
The backlash against Rihanna is coming just after the singer used her Twitter to try and draw attention to the ongoing civil dispute in India that’s seen tens of thousands of farmers camping on roads around New Delhi in protest of recent bills that they believe will mean the death of farming in the country that are supported by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
