Rihanna fans are unsure if she is a mastermind marketer or a master of trolling them after debuting her natural hair.
The short, blonde, curly fro she recently rocked in the streets of New York in a viral video has everyone debating if her newly launched haircare line, Fenty Hair, will have the same impact as her billion-dollar cosmetic imprint, Fenty Beauty, as it competes in the marketplace that is saturated with celebrity brands, including Beyoncé’s self-funded Cécred hair-nurturing line of products.
The “Umbrella” singer launched her own line in early June, just four months after Beyoncé. In her own words, “launching Feny Hair was something I was really, really passionate about. I wanted to create a line of products that were easy to use and included repair in every step. I also needed products that could keep up with me and fit into my lifestyle, which we all know is crazy.”
Promotional videos and images showcased her rocking long, straight, blond tresses as well as her signature pixie cut that was also dyed blond. Amid the excitement surrounding the products were comments accusing her of wearing a short-haired wig. While many of her fans, dubbed The Navy, rallied to defend her, saying that it was her real hair on display, countless others were certain that was not the case.
Rihanna kinda backfired with this marketing. When you shampoo your hair, the water pushes it back not swooped to the side https://t.co/mjHfHc5lFw
— K$ (@keenasxc) June 9, 2024
“We never see your real hair, you’re covering it with wigs/weaves. What do u know about hair textures?” tweeted an onlooker. A photo shoot that showed the entertainer getting her hair washed further fueled criticism. Many supporters hoped it would turn doubters into believers by proving the pixie cut was not a hairpiece.
“Rihanna kinda backfired with this marketing. When you shampoo your hair, the water pushes it back not swooped to the side,” wrote one person who was convinced she was not promoting the line with real hair. “Yall talking about length ain’t got nun to do with it if it’s healthy. Ma’ams this is damaged! All of it!” wrote another.
Rihanna seemed to respond to the ongoing debate about her tresses when she was spotted au natural days after the launch. There has been an outpouring of reactions to the sighting. “Promoting a hair care line with a fried blondie is diabolical,” read a critic’s take on her hair.
“If Rihanna would journey her hair growth using her products, that would be a game changer for the hair industry,” wrote an Instagram user, theorizing that she debuted her hair as a calculated step in proving the integrity of her line’s claims to repair.
Others drew comparisons to Beyoncé. When she first launched Cécred in March, many doubted that the near waist-length hair she often flaunts was her own.
The “Break My Soul” songstress would later post a video of her full wash day, showing off her inches upon inches of curly hair, although some still claimed she was wearing a lace front wig to hide her nonexistent mane.
Not Beyoncé gagging us with the real hair reveal & shutting up the critics who was talkin about “how you launch a hair line & wear wigs all the time don’t even show us your real hair”
— No Conformity ✨ (@No_Conformity_) April 22, 2024
YALL I CANT BREATHE! #CecredWashDay pic.twitter.com/e0klxl9EtG
“If Beyonce stepped outside with a snap of hair, can you IMAGINE what the comments would have said about her haircare line wow. They would have destroyed her,” read a comment pitting the artist against each other. Another person stated, “Yall not gone call her baldheaded like yall did beyonce.”
The two women have long been rumored to be frenemies. Their lack of collaborations and now competing hair care lines have done little to prove otherwise to those who believe that narrative.
