Rihanna Dropped By Nivea

In a deal that included ads (like the one above) and tour sponsorhsip, Rihanna has been dropped by Nivea in a very public way, it has been revealed today. Stefan Heidenreich, new head of Nivea’s parent company, Beirsdorf, told German media it wouldn’t re-sign her because she never should have been brought on in the first place.

“The advert starring Rihanna was a no go. I do not understand how Nivea can be brought into association with Rihanna. Nivea is a company which stands for trust, family and reliability.”

What a douchey thing to put out to the press. Yes, there is room for something being lost in translation (if indeed this is even a translation) but implying that Rihanna doesn’t care for her family and isn’t trustworthy or reliable is an over-the-top statement for a multi-national company to make, especially for one that makes a fortune hawking utterly b.s. snake oil items like cellulite cream. 

This is also a company that had to apologize for its clueless “Recivilize Yourself” ad this time last year, so you’d think the higher-ups had learned a lesson when it comes to making degrading comments about people of color, but nope, apparently some ignorance runs deep.