The latest Internet hit comes from Rihanna, who has produced what is probably the most viral image of the young year with her pregnancy announcement.
She walks the streets of New York harmoniously with ASAP Rocky, as if Miles Diggs aka Diggzy, the stars' favorite paparazzi, happened to have photographed it.
This wouldn't be remarkable if Rihanna hadn't revolutionized maternity wear, as some fashion critics have pointed out.
Instead of the classic pregnancy portrait, Rihanna has made street style paparazzi photography the medium of the message.
Not an intimate nude photo, but a display of the stomach peeking out between low-rise jeans and a bright pink Chanel puffer coat, in full public view.
Since then, one bang has followed the other: not only the initial picture, which also reminded of Anna Wintour's first Vogue cover with the gold cross by Christian Lacroix, but also completely naturally fashionable outfits such as a laced cardigan that reveals the chest and stomach, and tight leggings with rhinestone shoes.
Not that Rihanna hasn't made waves with her Met Gala outfits in the past, but the happy news got the fashion world cheering even more and setting new expectations for maternity aesthetics.
Judging by the size of her stomach, the Met Gala gig, when Rihanna walked the red carpet in a black, almost-coveralling puffer dress by Balenciaga (and her partner ASAP Rocky in a colorful quilt), might have been the Met Gala prelude.
This was followed by wide outfits, in autumn and winter often down jackets, paired with a lot of bling-bling, bare legs and high heels (which doctors advise against during pregnancy, however).
When the singer accepted the honor as the new national hero in her home country of Barbados, after the Caribbean state had deposed Queen Elizabeth II as head of state, the rumors began to simmer: Because there was a small bulge under the orange silk dress by Bottega Veneta.
However, Rihanna herself decided when her pregnancy would become known to the public;
after all, the photo is also a masterful display of media power.
It is she herself who allows the supposed paparazzi an insight into this carefully composed moment.
For as long as social media has existed, celebrities have had the power to broadcast a photo to the public at any time, whereas in the past it was tabloid editors who determined when each picture was published.
The fact that stars broadcast their own pictures has turned the tide and influences the narrative much more than any classic publication.
Beyoncé already did that in 2017 with her mother Maria-like pregnancy photo, which became the most successful Instagram picture of the year with eleven million likes.
But Rihanna took it to the streets, sharing what appeared to be a private moment instead of a studio shot.
The enemies from back then have developed into symbioses that benefit from each other - Diggzy, who took this photo, often speaks of trust.
Today's paparazzi are called in, profiting from the sale of the images, and the asterisk can suggest a moment of closeness and authenticity that isn't really one, but is good enough to keep fans happy.
It's often so flattering that it can sometimes happen that a star posts the picture himself and receives a lawsuit from the paparazzi for unsolicited and unpaid publication, such as with Gigi Hadid.
"Sunshine Factor" is the name of the picture of the cheerful star, of the kissing couple, or of the happy message, which Rihanna has just played so cleverly and maybe right now in times of a pandemic, when many are hungry for good news, especially is effective.
And it shows how much the singer retains control over the news situation and, quite incidentally, also sets new trends – this time baby belly-free.