Why we need to be lauding Rihanna for her fashion choices (instead of dissing her)

All hail the bad gal style queen

So ICYMI, Rihanna wore a quite fabulous costume at a Barbados carnival earlier this week, and the world went mental. There were those that accused her of Photoshopping her thumb (well, in her defence, why wouldn't you?), those that said she was too fat to wear a crystal-encrusted bra and knickers, and then was that side-eye emoji action from her ex Chris Brown that doesn't even bear talking about.

Luckily, Rihanna isn't want to take any shit from anyone, especially where her body is concerned - just last week, she shut down the fat-shamers by posting a video of herself buying Cheetos. When it comes to fashion, she takes exactly the same approach, and that's what I love about her.

Her sartorial choices may not be to everyone's choice, but she completely owns them, and you've got to respect that.

At the carnival, she went all out (it is a carnival after all), in a jewel bikini, teamed with fishnet tights, thigh-high boots, blue wig and giant feather headdress, an outfit Cher circa 1986 would be proud of. Hell yeah.

But it's not just about the outrageous, Rihanna is someone who wears what she wants, whenever she wants, according to her mood.

For the UK Valerian premiere, she went full ballgown, in a jaw-dropping red Giambattista Valli dress. Yep, it was very low cut, and what? An outfit is nothing if the person wearing it isn't confident, and Rihanna has spades of that.

For the US premiere of the film, Rihanna went for prom style, in another dress by the above designer, this time with puff sleeves and short skirt to show off gladiator sandals.

And let's not forget the amazing Comme des Garçons dress she wore at the Met Gala, an event I often find quite frustrating. Why? Because as much as it is all about embracing bonkers fashion, celebrities often play it too safe, and hardly ever stick to the theme. Yep, I'm always the one who takes a fancy dress evening to heart. If you're not going to go all out, why bother turning up?

In a sea of slinky LBDs and cut-out evening gowns, Rihanna stood out - alongside Katy Perry I might add - in a dress that was bang on theme and had everyone turning their heads. Bravo.

And it's not just on the red carpet that she's riveting, it's off it too. Rihanna doesn't think too much about her outfits, instead she has fun with them. It can be anything from a bubble pink suit with faux fur shrug to baggy jeans, crop top and a baseball cap.

It's ballsy choices like this that have earned her a cult following amongst celebrities like Gigi and Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner.

Hayley Baldwin sums it up perfectly, ‘I love Rihanna, I think her style just pushes a lot of boundaries’. That she does.