Despite not attending the 2022 Met Gala, Rihanna still managed to be a striking figure in the building.
Although the 34-year-old singer is usually a stylish fixture for the annual event, Rihanna—who is currently expecting her first child with A$AP Rocky—was not in attendance for this year's soiree. However, Vogue, the publication behind fashion's biggest night, made sure that they honored the stylish singer in the best way possible: By creating a digital rendering of a marble statue housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Yes, the very venue where the Met Gala is thrown.)
"The statue of ‘Eirene (The Personification of Peace)' is usually the highest-profile marble goddess @themetmuseum Greco-Roman galleries," the outlet wrote alongside a May 3 Instagram video showing off their artwork. "But now we've got @badgalriri, straight off this month's Vogue cover."
The goddess replica of RiRi—which is now home amongst over thirty thousand works of the Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art (in the digital sense)—is modeled after her cover photo for Vogue's May issue.
In case you missed it: For her stunning photo, the "We Found Love" singer showed off her baby bump in a red lace Alaïa bodysuit, complete with matching gloves and shoes.
But of course, for Rihanna, the difference in this year's appearance is bigger than a simple absence, since she has an entirely new role on the brain: motherhood. In early April, the fashionable singer opened up to the outlet about rejecting traditional maternity style.
"When I found out I was pregnant, I thought to myself, ‘There's no way I'm going to go shopping in no maternity aisle,'' she told Vogue. "I'm sorry—it's too much fun to get dressed up. I'm not going to let that part disappear because my body is changing."
As the Grammy winner put it, she's hoping to help empower other expecting moms with her unforgettable looks. "I'm hoping that we were able to redefine what's considered ‘decent' for pregnant women," she told the outlet. "My body is doing incredible things right now, and I'm not going to be ashamed of that. This time should feel celebratory."
Work, work, work, work, work, work.