Rihanna is being sued by a visually-impaired woman.
The ‘Work’ hitmaker’s Fenty Beauty company is the subject of a lawsuit from Beatriz Gutierrez, who has claimed the firm’s website is not properly equipped for her needs.
According to documents obtained by The Blast, the customer feels Fenty Beauty does not use industry standard screen-reading technology, which enables blind users to interact with the site.
The woman, who is legally blind, claimed the website contains significant “access barriers” which make it impossible to fully interact with the store and so goods and services are unavailable to her. Beatriz is seeking an immediate injunction to force Fenty Beauty to adhere to the federal standards required for visually-impaired customers and is also looking for damages of around $15,000.
While Rihanna is being criticized for not being inclusive with her website, she has been working hard to ensure her Fenty fashion line is size-inclusive.
The 31-year-old star had complete creative control over the range and ensured that all the pieces will work for a “curvy” body like her own.
She said: “We have our fit models, which is the standard size from factories, you just get your samples made in one size. But then, I want to see it on my body, I want to see it on a curvy girl with thighs and a little bit of booty and hips. And now I have boobs that I never had before … you know, I don’t even know how to sleep sometimes, it’s challenging, so imagine getting dressed.”
Rihanna – whose collection also includes footwear and accessories, such as sunglasses and jewelry – hopes that any woman will feel “confident” in her garments.
The singer said: “It’s all of these things I take into consideration because I want women to feel confident in my stuff.
“Whether it’s through fashion, lingerie, music, makeup … we try to get everybody involved and included in our brand.”
As earlier reported by The Sauce, Rihanna launched the Fenty fashion line in May. “And the ‘Work’ songstress – who is worked with LVMH (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton) to launch a luxury house under her name – revealed that designing the much-anticipated range has been an “incredibly special moment” for her.
