Pop superstar-entrepreneur Rihanna graced this year’s Super Bowl halftime show stage on Saturday, February 12, giving an electrifying performance. However, a part of the internet has been left baffled by a specific gesture the 34-year-old singer made during her almost 13-minute-long act.

Though RiRi managed to steal the opening night of Super Bowl 2023 with her incredible performance, there was a fleeting moment when the Where Have You Been singer touched her c*otch region in a somewhat sensual gesture and then seemingly sniffed her fingers.

Many viewers felt scandalized by this particular action and took to Twitter to share their reactions. One user, @tessa_marki, wrote how it was inappropriate for a live television broadcast, which millions of people were watching.

Rihanna’s Super Bowl performance was her first live gig in more than five years. The singer, clad in a fiery red outfit, descended on the platform from above, perched on a wide plank. She was flanked by a troop of dancers all clothed in white. The singer treated the audience to a medley of her hits, including Diamonds, Umbrella, We Found Love, Work, and Rude Boy.

What surprised fans and other viewers the most was the 34-year-old’s prominent baby bump. For the unversed, Riri used the Super Bowl stage to announce her second pregnancy to the world. The singer has already been blessed with a son with her partner, American rapper A$AP Rocky, in May 2022.

“Did Rihanna just sniff her own perfume?”: Viewers react to the popstar’s “scratch and sniff” gesture on 2023 Super Bowl’s opening night

Viewers who were watching the performance at home on their televisions caught a bizarre mid-performance detail while RiRi was belting out her hit song, Rude Boy. In a sudden move, the singer grabbed her crotch while gyrating, before swiftly lifting her hand to her face and pretending to sniff her fingers. She then looked to her side, winked, and smirked.

A group of people, who were too stunned, proceeded to ask on Twitter whether or not Rihanna actually sniffed her fingers. Another group of netizens were, however, furious at the gesture. Several labeled the act as insensitive, as they complained that there were kids who were also watching the show. Check out a few of these reactions below:

Apart from Rihanna’s “scratch and sniff” debate, her overall performance and stage presence after a long time was widely acclaimed as many people were impressed with the memorable set.

User @TheRochaSays highly praised the singer’s performance as part of the Super Bowl halftime show, stating that everyone involved in the direction, dancing, choreography, staging, and construction deserved a lot of credit for the show. They added that the 34-year-old singer was incredible as well.

Everyone involved in the direction, choreography, staging, dancing, and construction deserves so much credit for that #SuperBowl HT show.

#Rihanna was incredible!

In an interview, Rihanna spoke about making her decision to perform on the Super Bowl halftime stage, stating:

“I was like, ‘You sure? I’m three months postpartum. Should I be making major decisions like this right now? I might regret this. When you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you could take on the world — you can do anything.”

She added that since the Super Bowl is one of the biggest platforms in the world, performing on its stage was scary, however, there was something exhilarating about the challenge as well, adding that the now-historic performance was important for her son to witness.