In reply to Lax.

RIHANNNNNNNNNNNNNNA!!!!!!
The Rihanna of 2012 is unrecognisable from the R&B pop princess who emerged in 2004. Photograph: Jason Laveris/FilmMagic
In 2011, the dominant images of Rihanna in the media were her onstage outfits, which were all leather straps, metal studs, fishnets and fierce heels: female sexuality as visual performance. This year, she has used her Twitter account to overlay this image with a different type of photo, which is equally revealing but very different in tone. These shots have been self-authored, of the singer in a bikini, usually on holiday with girlfriends, accessorised with a bottle of beer and no makeup. This latest Rihanna reinvention (and it won't be the last) is more laidback, apparently closer to reality, than the video dominatrix.