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They said/We said: Another day, another naked Rihanna photo

Photography by Keystone Press

Another day, another half-naked Rihanna picture hits Instagram. The “S&M” singer found herself splashed across the web once again after she posted yet another topless picture. Whereas the image has received a lot of attention from the blogosphere, pictures of Rihanna in various states of undress are hardly news anymore. In fact, we’d probably be more surprised if she had kept her goods covered.

Just last month Rihanna gave the world an intimate look at her life, with the star frolicking under a waterfall in Hawaii without a bikini top.  After the racy romp in the water, the pop princess posed provocatively on the beach in a bandeau top that barely covered anything and rubbed sunscreen on her mostly naked body.

Rihanna is no stranger to controversy, and her sexy social media stints often have people speculating about whether or not the nearly naked pictures are a ploy to get the attention of a certain rude boy from the singer’s past.  When bloggers write about Rihanna’s candid photos, they often drop the C-bomb… Chris Brown. But again, a sexy picture exchange between the former celebrity duo is hardly news.   The pair grabbed headlines last year when the naked pictures Rihanna sexted to Brown were leaked.

With a collection of semi-nudes circulating the web, it was no surprise that Playboy extended an invitation to the pop star in hopes that she would grace their pages.  What was surprising is that Rihanna turned the storied magazine down, and offered the explanation that she didn’t want to pose naked for money.  In her own words, “If I’m gonna take my clothes off, it has to be in a classy way and my will, not a cheque. I wouldn’t take any money to do that.” Ladies of the world take note.

THEY SAID…

Perez Hilton: “We’ve seen her get nasty at the strip club, we’ve seen her roll joints on the bald heads of her entourage, but now Rihanna is literally giving us the shirt off her back…” [Perez Hilton]

Hollywoodlife.com: “She’s interesting; she’s sassy; hell, she’s confident enough to eat dinner at a trendy SoHo restaurant all alone, but instead of using her fame as a platform to become a role model, Rihanna would rather post revealing photos and passive-aggressive messages online.” [Hollywoodlife.com]

WE SAID…

Karen Cleveland, senior communications & marketing manager: “Rihanna’s latest photo (just when we thought there couldn’t possibly be another) is leagues below a celebrity of her ilk. It isn’t a particularly interesting or sexy shot; in fact, it smells of “try hard.” This is a woman with serious star power and a big personal brand, and we expect a bit more from her than a topless cell phone self-portrait. If her objective is to share personal shots to humanize herself to fans, that is lost entirely in the smut.”