By shelz.
Last time we spoke about Rihanna, I was going on about her River Island capsule collection for the summer months. A 90’s street chic retro vibe permeated most of the pieces with some scandalous night time items sprinkled in. It has done well and there is a fall/winter line in the works per Miss Fenty’s Instagram account. But that’s not what we are talking about today. Today it’s all about RiRi Woo.
If you aren’t a MAC girl, that name is probably not familiar to you. RiRi Woo is Ruby Woo redux, a slightly altered version of the classic MAC matte red lipstick. I’m not sure what changes are in affect other than the stenciling of Miss Fenty’s signature in the bullet, but now her generation can claim their own version of their moms favorite red lippie.
Sound silly? Well it may until I mentioned that the test run on Friday yielded some ridiculous results. MAC’s site was so inundated with requests it took over 30 minutes for orders to process and RiRiWoo sold out in a little less than three hours even though each customer was only allowed one tube. The bidding wars have already started on Ebay and the items haven’t even shipped yet.
This isn’t really about the lipstick. Maybelline’s new Vivids and Revlon’s Colorbursts both feature some really pretty red shades for half the cost of a MAC tube. This is about Rihanna and folks who will buy anything and everything with her name on it. She could sell shit to a waste water treatment plant. It’s that serious.
Rihanna is the perfect combo of victimized heroine, objectified diva and insolent brat that drives young women to covet and consume. Of all the pop starlets, or possibly harlots, she has grabbed the focus of that demographic in a most sturdy way. Maybe it’s her contempt for these girls moma’s mores; a perceived grand freedom that makes it totally okay to roll joints on men’s heads in public places. But when mom is still funding the bank account that makes a $15.00 tube of lipstick possible, that’s a liberty you simply don’t have . The best you can do is kick Ruby Woo to the side, pucker up like your favorite pop star and live vicariously one smooch at a time.
This isn’t Rihanna’s only collaboration with the cosmetic giant who still houses products hawked by Lady Gaga and Nicky Minaj. No sir, she is too precious for one and done. There is a whole line expected. At the close of the summer, I predict Miss Fenty will be swimming in all of that cake her Navy will throw at her via MAC counters across the globe.
And it’s not even her birthday.