Cast your mind back to 2007. Barack Obama was campaigning for president, former American Idol finalist Jennifer Hudson had just won an Oscar, and you couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing Rihanna’s “Umbrella.” Perhaps the singer responsible for that monster track is feeling nostalgic for the period, as she just resurrected a hairstyle that was almost as ubiquitous in the late aughts as her song: the side fringe.
Spied on a night out in Los Angeles over the weekend, Rihanna channelled her 2007 self with shoulder-length straight hair and a sweeping side fringe that fell to cover one of her expertly made-up eyes. Along with stripy highlights, high-shine lipgloss and spray tans, the side fringe was a major beauty theme in the late aughts. Rih wore a textbook version for her Good Girl Gone Bad album artwork, and it became something of a red carpet signature for the star in the early days of her fame.
Maybe the megastar is in a reflective mood as she prepares to tick off yet another career milestone: Last week it was confirmed that Rihanna will headline the Super Bowl halftime show in 2023. One of the most high-profile–and prestigious–gigs in pop, she will follow in the footsteps of Madonna, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez, who made her barnstorming performance a comment on Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
