Savage X Fenty, an all-encompassing fashion show featuring Rihanna and her desire to make all bodies feel accepted. Featuring intimates and lingerie that are marketed as a collection that fits more than one body type, it fits real people and not just models. Most lingerie fashion shows only feature women that are rail thin and go along with the accepted ideal beauty. Shows, such as Victoria’s Secret, struggle to show a single plus-sized woman as an angel in their yearly show. Rihanna has made sure to include women of all colors and shapes in her Savage x Fenty lineup, the dancers highlighting how we can all look different but feel comfortable in our own skins.
The lineup this year included a plethora of performances and cameos made by musicians and actors alike. The key performances began with Rosalía singing her own song “Relación”. The song is beautifully sung while also featuring men of varying sizes in the Savage X Fenty boxers, smoking jackets, and satin pants, once more showing the versatility in the brands sizing, from extra small to triple X, the brand has created clothing to comfort and feature every body type.
There are interviews with dozens of women, actresses that show a vulnerability unseen from their normal stage presence. From Cara Delevingne to Jazzelle Zanaughtti, interviews explaining what it means to hide inside yourself, the impactful statement came pouring out as emotions many may have hidden up inside. Glimmers of hope sliding through though as for a hopeful future among those hurt emotions, “You know if she gets to that to be continued ellipsis part, I think that she’ll have a lot of hope in her heart for you know, what’s to come,” said a heartfelt Zanaughtti. More artists used their amazing talents to bring tears to the eyes of the audience with Ella Mai’s “Not Another Love Song”. Featured songs “Ballin” and “High Fashion” performed by DJ Mustard and Roddy Ricch were performed alongside Ella’s own piece. “Yo Perro Soy” sung by performer Bad Bunny got a spotlight as well as “Adorn”, “Funeral”, and “Waves” by Miguel side by side with his wife getting its place in the show.
Though the show featured so many creators, artists, and people, there was some backlash that came over a song during the show. Times writer Cady Lang explained where the heat came from. “The show used the song “Doom,” a track by musical producer Coucou Chloe that samples a hadith, a sacred Islamic text,” stated Lang. These texts were used in a fashion that insulted Allah’s name as LA Time’s staff writer Nardine Saad explained, “In Islam, it is considered haram, or forbidden, to use Allah’s name, the words of the Quran or the prophet Muhammad impolitely.”
These words have brought much more heat to this year’s fashion show than in later years. Since the show released on Amazon Prime, Rihanna has since issued an apology to her fans and the Muslim community. “I’d like to thank the Muslim community for pointing out a huge oversight that was unintentionally offensive in our Savage X Fenty show,” Rihanna wrote in a post shared on the Savage X Fenty Instagram page Tuesday. “I would more importantly like to apologize to you for this honest, yet careless mistake. We understand that we have hurt many of our Muslim brothers and sisters, and I’m incredibly disheartened by this! I do not play with any kind of disrespect toward God or any religion and therefore the use of the song in our project was completely irresponsible.” Since then, the video has since been edited to remove the offensive song in question, as has it been pulled from a multitude of streaming platforms.
Rihanna’s whole creation of this show revolved around one idea, to be as inclusive as possible. While the show featured glamorous ideals, there were unfortunately other issues that held back what could have been a perfect showing for Savage X Fenty. The original idea should remain the image of the show, as Rihanna states during the 2020 fashion show, “I want to make stuff that I can see on the people that I know, and they come in all shapes, sizes, races, religions. Whether that comes from my household and my childhood, to the circle of family that I’ve created around me. I really care that they be a part of what I do,” expressed Rihanna in a tender tone.
