Rihanna landed her third Vogue cover, this time rocking her signature pixie, a sheer black top and jeans for the March 2014 issue. The feature pretty much explains and celebrates the "Rihanna Effect" in fashion, which is essentially the notion that her look is copyable on the mass level and that women want to dress like her.

Rihanna obviously recognizes that fashion is as important to her image and her fame as her actual voice, and she admitted that she suffers for fashion.

When she wears a pair of agonizing shoes that destroy her feet, she goes into a different zone.

"It’s not about pain," RiRi said. "It’s about the commitment. I say to myself, ‘I want to look like this,’ and worry about the pain later. I’ve had nights I had to tiptoe home and the balls of my feet wouldn’t even allow me to stand."

That's a true fashion sacrifice.

RiRi also admitted she went through a serious tomboy fashion phase in her teens. "When I was13 or 14, I didn’t want to wear what my mom wanted me to wear," she confessed. "I was very much a boy in my style, my demeanor. All my friends were guys. I loved things that boys did. I loved being easy with my clothes. I loved wearing hats and scarves and snapbacks on my head. It was my way of rebelling. I wanted to dress like my brother. After a while, it was just easier for mom to dress us both the same. We wore the same jeans, the same T-shirts."

Can you imagine the supremely sexy RiRi as a tomboy?

Designers also spoke about their desire to dress her. Alexander Wang said, "There is no one else that excites me more. It’s raw, it’s smart, it’s everything pop culture needs to move forward."

Tom Ford also exalted her style, saying, "She can throw on combinations you can’t imagine other people could possibly wear, and look great. In the fashion world, she has inspired a very, very loose mix of random items."

So RiRi may be fashion rebel, but she isn't intentionally a rebel in life. "I don’t go out of my way to be a rebel or to have that perception," the singer said. "But a lot of the decisions I make, a lot of the direction I want to move, is against the grain, or against society’s tight lane, and I’m aware of that sometimes. It might not be fitting with the norm, but that’s OK for me.”

The songbird also explained why she loves to open up her private world to her fans via social media sharing. She is known for her topless pics!

"Instagram is my way of communicating to the world," Rihanna said. "When I’m on tour, I keep fans in the loop. I don’t really think about it too much. Literally, I can be sitting in a car and be bored, so I do a selfie just because I’m bored. Or if my dog is running around in circles and I think that’s funny, I put it on Instagram."

She admitted she follows girls from the Middle East on the photo sharing site since "it gives you ideas."

Ultimately, her own label is something she is considering and she understands that her success rides on both her image and her talent. "It’s not all down to my voice," she confessed. "There’s people with way more talent than I when it comes to singing. Bigger voices. But people want to know who you are. Fashion is a clear indication, a way to express your attitude, your mood."

More From PopCrush