Of Course Rihanna Is Naked on GQ's 'Men of the Year' Issue

Just like British GQ ran out of clothes for Lana Del Rey’s cover photo, there wasn’t a lot provided for Rihanna, in terms of wardrobe, for the “Men Of The Year” issue of American GQ.

Since Rihanna is not a man, she’s not technically a Man of the Year, but instead called “Obsession Of The Year”. Fine. But why isn’t she allowed to wear clothes? There are three different covers for this issue, and spoiler alert: Ben Affleck and Channing Tatum were provided with shirts. Rihanna, most likely, has no problem with this. Fine. She seems to love being naked, on Instagram and whatnot. It’s not really about her, anyway.

Look. We all know how men’s magazines work, we’ve all heard “sex sells,” there’s no use pretending that this is surprising. Rihanna’s cover makes headlines for her and for GQ. That doesn’t mean it’s not sad. Doesn’t meant it’s not frustrating.

Let’s not forget, as Scientific American puts it:

Numerous studies have found that feeling objectified is bad for women. Being ogled can make women do worse on math tests, and self-sexualization, or scrutiny of one’s own shape, is linked to body shame, eating disorders and poor mood.

Just imagine a little girl who looking at the three covers and wondering why the lady is the only one with no clothes on. What message is she getting about her body? What has she learned about a woman’s worth?