As a numbers game, Rihanna is not the undisputable queen of Instagram. That title currently belongs to Beyoncé.
However, Rih just may be the patron saint of the platform; an exemplary user who never fails to post enticing images and witty captions that keep followers intrigued.
When Rihanna was banned from Instagram in 2014, she left an unfillable void each time we scrolled by a friend’s image of avocado toast or a snoozy red carpet photo from a celeb.
She’s a spark plug in our feeds.
Though her latest post has left users a bit confused, or in some cases, offended. Rihanna posted a series of four photos (originally designed by Freddie Smithson) with Queen Elizabeth’s head superimposed onto her body, wearing some of her most noted outfits. The captions featured some rather braggadocious lyrics from Mariah Carey, Kendrick Lamar, and Gucci Mane.
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The latter caption, which accompanied a photo of the woman's head known affectionately as Lilibet photoshopped on Rihanna's body clad in her “Queen of Coachella” ensemble, was soon updated.
It first read: “cause u f*** like a ?? f***, u just a amateur. #gucci”. It seems mama Rih was not a fan of that caption and reached out to her daughter. “UPDATE: Mumz said she won't [sic] too happy bout this post so I had to edit *insert appropriate Gucci Mane lyrics here*” the caption read.
Some users took no issue with the doctored photos.
“Presidents are made fun of all the time. I don't see why it's not okay to do the same to queen. I didn't love Rihanna before, but I do now. Everyone needs the spirit of challenging authorities,” said user Jazmio.
Others, presumably devout supporters of the queen’s legion, were not impressed.
“Whatever the message here, one thing is clear, Rihanna is obviously delusional. My Queen carries herself with poise and elegance. Something Rihanna has never done. I find this disrespectful but expect nothing more from bad girl riri,” said commenter Becky_farnell.
The theme among the captions? Confidence. Was Rih just having a bit of photo-editing fun? Was she still feeling the vibes of Kendrick Lamar’s Coachella performance? Was superimposing the Queen of England’s head on her body Rih’s way of celebrating her birthday? Hell, maybe she was just feeling herself, per usual and thought she’d share with the masses. Then again, the final photo she posted seemed to say it all, "It's not that deep."