Rihanna joined the entertainment world as a singer in 2003. Just like most celebrities, the Barbadian musician also expanded her brand and added businesswoman, fashion designer, actress, and philanthropist to her impressive resume.
With that said, music is not the only thing that keeps Rihanna busy. In fact, just recently, the 31-year-old diva was scheduled to appear for an “ARTISTRY & BEAUTY TALK” event for her beauty line, FENTY BEAUTY, on September 17 in Seoul City, South Korea.
However, the event garnered a lot of attention for the wrong reason. Rihanna was scheduled to appear at 5 p.m. However, the "Umbrella" singer reportedly arrived at 7:30 pm, making her fans wait for over two hours.
Respect is very important, not only in South Korea but all over the world. That’s why, even though Rihanna is considered to be an A-list star, people were not too happy that she was two and a half hours late and many began leaving the event with disappointment.
Some people that were there took to social media to share their frustrations. “I waited over an hour but Rihanna didn’t even arrive. Many people were frustrated and left,” one fan said. “ I was happy to hear that she was coming to Seoul but her disdainful attitude towards her Korean fans created a bad image for her brand.”
Punctuality is a trait that is very important in South Korean culture. While they are open-minded and understanding of celebrities’ hectic schedules, Rihanna’s tardiness was something different.
As it turns out, this wasn’t the first time that the “California King Bed” singer made people wait for her in Korea. Back in 2010, Rihanna was 50 minutes late to a press conference, making netizens think if she had any respect for the citizens at all.
"I thought it was strange that someone who looks down on Asia would even come to Korea,” one netizen wrote. "This is an event with her name on it and she stays in her waiting room holding an Instagram live while she's 2 hours late to her own event? Idiot,” another one shared. One netizen then suggested that “When this happens, you need to shut down the even after the first 30 minutes. This is why they think it’s okay to be this disrespectful.”
When she finally arrived, Rihanna apologized for being late at the event. The singer said that a traffic jam caused the delay.
