Just when Rihanna made it seem like she’s the baddest bitch in town and bedding all the hot guys, her latest Vanity Fair cover disproves just that. And that’s not exactly a bad thing, either.
Shot by Annie Leibovitz, Rihanna’s cover story realigns the star with her current image, her past, and her future endeavors. In it she confidently expresses her opinions on casual sex. “I mean I get horny, I’m human, I’m a woman, I want to have sex. But what am I going to do—just find the first random cute dude that I think is going to be a great ride for the night and then tomorrow I wake up feeling empty and hollow?” Rihanna displays honesty and insight so humbling and unexpected from what could be pop culture’s most precious badass queen.
When asked about her bad girl reputation, Rihanna reflects on the opposite, “Honestly, I’ve been thinking about how boring I am.” Her wish to watch more TV shows aside, boring could mean how traditional she can be, especially when it comes to relationships.
“I always see the best in people,” she says. “I hope for the best, and I always look for that little bit of good, that potential, and I wait for it to blossom… That’s why I haven’t been having sex or even really seeing anybody because I don’t want to wake up the next day feeling guilty.”
“I can’t do it to myself. I cannot. It has a little bit to do with fame and a lot to do with the woman I am. And that saves me,” believes Rihanna.
“The 27-year-old woman in front of me is not the provocative, wild hip-hop prom queen, the sexy girl allegedly at the center of a jealous, bottle-throwing brawl in a nightclub, nor the habitué of L.A. and New York hot spots,” writes author Lisa Robinson. “She is elegant, funny, straightforward, and downright horrified (and laughs hysterically) at all the rumors I toss her.”
What really completes Rihanna’s girl power reputation is her real talk. Later in the cover story, she confesses her thoughts on her music, her beginnings, her love for Jay-Z and Eminem, and her desire to live a normal life.
Photo courtesy of Annie Leibovitz