Rihanna Flaunts Curves In Instagram Pics, Sparks Weight Debate: Is Thick The New And Improved Normal?

Rihanna just slayed all those rumors that she’s pregnant by revealing her curves in her hot new Instagram photos. Those same pictures, however, also heated up a debate that has been on-going ever since Rihanna stepped out with a few added pounds. Some fans have been urging Rihanna to diet, while others contend that thick Rihanna is the best Rihanna. Now there’s a new question to be answered: Has the famous songstress turned thick into the new normal?

The Telegraph pointed out that the harshest part of the response to Rihanna’s weight gain occurred in June, when blogger Chris Spagnuolo posed a question in a rude headline.

“Is Rihanna Going To Make Being Fat The Hot New Trend?”

A social media backlash resulted in the blogger being let go, the piece deleted, and recurring references to “body shaming” from those defending the songstress. But with that storm over, the debate continues over what constitutes a so-called “normal” female body, and whether Rihanna, with her weight gain, belongs in the “normal” body type category.

In response to the new photos of Rihanna flaunting her curves, some headlines are now doing the reverse of the body-shaming blogger, proclaiming that self-proclaimed “bad gal RiRi” is providing the world with a realistic body type, and that she looks like a “normal” female, noted the Telegraph.

However, the media outlet argued that the songstress has added only a “small amount of weight,” going from “a very slim woman to being a moderately slim woman.” But in responding to her newest photos, including a NSFW one that you can see here, fans along with detractors seem to disagree that Rihanna still qualifies as slim.

“What happened to you?” demanded one Instagram follower of a photo that showed off her weight gain.

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On Twitter, however, there were more positive comments. Some compared Rihanna to Beyoncé, noting that with her weight gain, RiRi joins Queen Bey in being thick and beautiful.

“From thick Beyoncé to thick Rihanna all in the same week,” wrote one.

Among those fans praising thick Rihanna, several Twitter users expressed appreciation to the songstress for turning thick into a new normal.

https://twitter.com/_ziimmm/status/895482852552318976

But then there were those who continued to bash Rihanna for gaining weight and urging her to diet. To those, Metro asked why the same group that urges society to establish more accepting body norms gets involved in slamming celebrities for putting on pounds, noting the focus on her weight rather than her singing success.

“People have been more concerned with Rihanna’s weight than her voice.”

With millions of fans, some think that it’s all right to bash her weight because she’s a celebrity, noted Metro.

“People are so quick to judge celebrities – especially on their appearance – and it seems they tell themselves it’s okay to do so simply because a person is well-known, so must face so many comments daily that they wouldn’t care about one negative one,” pointed out the media outlet.

Joining in the weight debate sparked by Rihanna, Madame Noire pointed out that the songstress has taken time from her busy schedule to attend the annual Crop Over Festival in her native Barbados four times. But although Rihanna hit up the festival looking stunning in 2011, 2013, 2015, and now 2017, it’s the costume this year that flaunts those curves that’s gathering more attention than ever before.

The good news is that all the speculation that the “Wild Thoughts” singer was pregnant went away by the sight of her body in the new photos, noted Madame Noire, praising the expanded curves.

“She’s just a little thicker and is wearing the weight very well. She’s even been given the nickname ‘Thickanna.'”

At 29, Rihanna showed no hesitation in baring her body, wearing just a bra and a thong covered by crystals. She once talked with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres about the challenges in showing her curves.

“It’s a bit of a character that you have to get into. You get into a place where you zone out from everything around,” explained Rihanna.

If Rihanna wants company when it comes to how to cope with the ongoing focus on her fuller figure, she might want to turn to Jennifer Aniston. The new flock of comments about “Thickanna” recalls the rumors that crop up every time Jennifer shows the tiniest hint of a tummy.

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Last year, for example, the Daily Mail even had a headline stating that Aniston’s rep had denied she was pregnant. The baby rumors that time around were sparked by Jennifer’s allegedly fuller figure, resulting in the statement from her rep.

“She is not pregnant,” said the spokesperson. “What you see is her having just enjoyed a delicious big lunch and her feeling safe on private property.”

In other words, she stopped holding in her tummy.

What do you think about the type of attention that Rihanna and other celebrities, such as Jennifer Aniston, get every time they gain a few pounds? Is thick the new normal, or is Rihanna slender and being unfairly criticized for her weight gain? Post your views below.

[Featured Image by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images]