Conner became famous when photos of her dressed in military fatigues juxtaposed with her in US flag emblazoned bikinis blew up on Instagram, giving her more than 413,000 Instagram followers. For her latest shoot, she posed for photographer Robert Alvarado wearing a mix of fatigues and lingerie, mimicking the style of classic pin-ups.
Most of the military stuff she is wearing is real, including a combat helmet on her head and lace-up boots on her feet. Other shots show her donning a sailor-inspired corset and white sailor hat while giving the camera a salute and wearing nothing but a lace thong and a pair of patriotic blue and red thigh-highs.
Conner told Jam Press that she was dubbed 'Combat Barbie' long before she became known online.
“I was given my nickname from the Marines I first served with in 2011, because of the fact that I was so girly and loved to show my femininity. The nickname stuck with me throughout my military career and after. I served this great country of ours for seven years in the Marine Corps, and I am more than happy to say that I am now a U.S. veteran,” she said.
Rianna was raised on a 40-acre farm in Kerman, a small town in the middle of California, where she learned the meaning of hard work, spending weeknights, weekends, and "summer vacations" in the fields with her grandparents to produce her family crop.
“Growing up the way I did forever instilled a great work ethic and burning ambition in my soul. While in high school I won the award for "Most Inspirational Senior," which I attribute to the great life lessons I learned from my family,” she said.
At 18 she graduated from high school and joined the Marine Corps and moved away from her small hometown. She served all over the country, was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 and left the military after seven years, during which she earned awards such as a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. She is now pursuing her bachelor's degree at the University of North Dakota.
Conner also owns a clothing company, which is aptly named Combat Barbie Clothing. Her T-shirts, sweatshirts, and tanks feature inspirational sayings such as 'Make yourself proud' and 'Stay Beautiful', aiming to tell the world that it is possible to be yourself and achieve your dreams, and she hopes that her story has inspired at least one person.
“I make clothing items specifically for all of the beautiful and bad** women out there. And there are some items for bad** men too. My clothing items represent a mixture of positivity and patriotism. I hope people feel their best when they wear my clothing items,” she said.
