Rihanna Is Under Fire

Rihanna has been criticized on social media after her new fashion collaboration with Puma was unveiled amid calls for the sports apparel brand to be boycotted.

On Monday, photos were released of singer and entrepreneur Rihanna sporting a fashion-forward look while posing with Puma shoes pressed against her face. The new Puma Creeper designs are a collaboration with Rihanna's Fenty fashion brand.

"We took our OG Creeper [from 2015] and made it bigger and badder," Rihanna said in an official statement. "When designing the Creeper Phatty we wanted to reinvent the OG Creeper that was loved by so many. It's a classic silhouette that has been missed, so its return had to be bigger."

The campaign is the "We Found Love" hitmaker's latest collaboration with Puma, who named her as its creative director back in 2014.

However, the campaign has been met with a wave of criticism on social media from detractors who are calling for a boycott of Puma over its sponsorship of the Israel Football Association (IFA).

The boycott calls have intensified in the weeks since Hamas launched an October 7 surprise attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages to the Gaza Strip, according to the Associated Press.

Israel subsequently launched unrelenting airstrikes and a ground invasion of Gaza after declaring war on Hamas. An estimated two-thirds of Gaza's 2.3 million population have been displaced, while more than 11,000 people have been killed and thousands injured, per AP.

There have been calls for a ceasefire amid concerns for Palestinian civilians. The AP reported that in northern Gaza, where the Israeli troops have expanded operations, residents have been without electricity, water, and access to humanitarian aid for weeks.

With the ongoing conflict sparking a contentious debate online, some celebrities have faced the wrath of social media users for taking a stance that they may not agree with. While Rihanna has not publicly issued any statements on the current conflict, her new fashion venture has sparked a wave of backlash.

"Look I love Rihanna too but remember PUMA SUPPORTS [ISRAEL] AND THEY ARE ON THE BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] LIST," wrote one detractor on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

The user referenced the Palestinian-led movement which promotes boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. The movement is coordinated by the Palestinian BDS National Committee.

A July 2021 statement on the BDS website alleged that the Israel Football Association "includes a number of teams and pitches in illegal Israeli settlements that force Palestinian families from their homes. Puma is the IFA's main sponsor."

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Rihanna, Puma, and the IFA via email for comment.

The statement alleged that "a swanky outlet of Puma's exclusive distributor in Israel, Factory 54, [was] built on occupied land in violation of international law."

"When international companies like Puma lend their brand recognition as cover for Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism, it allows Israel to continue its gradual ethnic cleansing of Indigenous Palestinians," the statement read.

On October 18, the BDS movement reiterated its point when a post was shared on X stating that Puma "sponsors the Israel Football Association, which governs teams in Israel's illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land."

Taking aim at Rihanna for continuing her business ties with Puma, another X user said: "Rih doing this Puma campaign while BDS is actively calling for a Puma boycott is why we say there's no ethical [billionaire]. These folks are immoral and greedy. If you buy these you lame [as f***]."

Tagging Rihanna's X account, another critic commented on the new Puma campaign: "Ugly and I see the blood from here. What is it like being soaked in the blood of Palestinians?"

One Rihanna fan account clarified that its stance was against Puma, rather than Rihanna.

"Y'all come on here acting like boycotting Puma is hating Rihanna," they wrote. "People SHOULD boycott Puma. It's not affecting Rihanna so what are y'all mad about? Rihanna is rich [as f***] and bullying people for boycotting an Israel supporting brand is insanity. Boycotting is the right thing to do."

While the campaign has been met with criticism, many other Rihanna fans threw their support behind the Bajan-born musician's latest venture.

"I'm getting Pumas," said one, while another chimed in: "No one is bigger than Rihanna in the music world."

"Gosh, I can't get over this pic. She's sooo cute," another fan gushed.

"Too bad this not for a music video," wrote another, echoing the sentiments of fans who have been pleading with Rihanna to release a new album.

Rihanna's partner A$AP Rocky, with whom she has two children, was recently named the creative director of Puma's new fashion partnership with Formula 1.

The complexities of enduring tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in the region, coupled with an ever-increasing number of critics populating social media, has made speaking out on the matter a tough balancing act for celebrities supporting either side. Celebrities who have called for a ceasefire, thrown their support behind Palestinians or Israel or maintained a public silence, have been roundly criticized.

While Rihanna has not yet spoken out on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one of her Instagram posts from 2021, in which she spoke about the loss of lives in the region, recently received renewed attention on the social media platform.

At the time, fighting had broken out following weeks of tension in East Jerusalem over the proposed evictions of Palestinians from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood to make room for Israeli settlers.

"My heart is breaking with the violence I'm seeing displayed between Israel and Palestine!" Rihanna wrote in her statement. "I can't bear to see it! Innocent Israeli and Palestinian children are hiding in bomb shelters, over 40 lives lost in Gaza alone, at least 13 of whom were also innocent children!"

"There needs to be some kind of resolve!" the musician said. "We are sadly watching innocent people fall victim to notions perpetrated by government and extremists, and this cycle needs to be broken!"

In 2014, Rihanna shared the oft-used hashtag "#FreePalestine" on her X account. According to Vox, the R&B star later deleted her post.