Rihanna’s ‘historic’ Met Gala tribute explained

Even though she wasn’t in attendance, Rihanna’s Met Gala moment and tribute is still the talk of the town. 

The singer and business owner of beauty mogul company Fenty definitely “shut down” the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City last week. 

Rihanna couldn’t make it to the event, as she is in the later stages of her pregnancy.

Organisers installed a marble sculpture in her likeness in one of the galleries to pay tribute to her.

In addition, editors at Vogue posted images of the sculpture and explained that the figure was inspired by Rihanna’s May 2022 cover issue for the publication.

Rihanna wrote on Instagram: “Shut down the met in marble! what’s more gilded than that? Lol! Thank you @metmuseum and @voguemagazine for this historic tribute! y’all bad for this one!” 

The dramatic unveiling of Rihanna’s marble statue video is located in the Greco- Roman galleries and has been viewed over 14 million times on the star’s Instagram account. 

Vogue editors explained the statue figure was inspired by Rihanna’s May cover for the coveted magazine, further stating it is the statue of “Eirene (The Personification of Peace)” which is usually the highest profile for a marble goddess.

Depending on which fashion angle you are on, the 2022 Met Gala was either disappointing in terms of the fashion or lived up to expectations. 

The theme this year was “gilded glamour”, which refers to a time in the 1870s to 1900 during which the upper class of New York and other northern states had a “more-is-more approach to fashion,” in part because technological developments made it easier to buy more clothes than ever before, Vogue explained. 

One of the top looks on fashion’s biggest night was actress Blake Lively, who wowed in a beaded Versace gown with an oversized satin bow that unfurled to reveal a light-blue train.

A platinum blonde Kim Kardashian shone in the stunning skin-tight gown Marilyn Monroe wore in 1962 to sing “Happy Birthday, Mr President” to John F. Kennedy. 

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who oversees the philanthropic party that raises millions of dollars for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, was one of the first attendees to arrive.

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Compiled by Sandisiwe Mbhele, additional reporting by AFP