Disgusted at the new Rihanna video!!

[Cheeseandhamtoast]

I'm not going to link, but I am absolutely disgusted at the new Rihanna video. Extreme sexual violence. Especially coming from Rihanna who has been a victim of domestic violence herself. Who would make a video like this? I just dispair at what is becoming mainstream.

Sorry, rant over, but this just really upsets me.

And now that I have RTFT and seen it, I agree with the OP and Innocent. When VAW is depicted this way it trivialises it.

I am generally hyper sensitive to black women being critiqued in the media because we are so few and far between and often the subject of both racist and sexist abuse. I think that's why I feel so determined to examine this video from every possible angle.

I would have preferred if Rihanna made her point by not sexualizing VAW.

mediadiversified.org/2013/11/05/who-stole-all-the-black-women-from-britain/

The Xxed, I am black & it never crossed my mind about the issues you raised about this vid, I've just always seen rhianna as a bit thick and too quick to take her clothes off. Now, I see it is a lot more than that and the issues run a lot deeper for ALL women x

I have a feeling I may regret posting this, but why would any woman not identify with being a feminist? I always thought that feminism was about equality for woman, and therefore a pretty basic premise for all of us? Maybe I am missing some subtexts here. Genuinely interested so please don't bite my head off.

it is crass and puerile...did a group of not very bright 7 year olds come up with the 'plot'?

dont know about a bit thick, surely Rhiana is a lot thick

oooh Im so sexy look at me, look at me Im so sexy and Im a bad ass gangsta so dont mess with me

she a fucking joke

^^^^^^^

rhianna is just a huge attention seeking hypocrite ,after the chris brown buisness she was understandably very vocal about VAW etc ,and then makes a video like this? , all that pot etc shes not as talented as she was so have to strut about half naked in public n make videos like this.

for a short time yes, not like activist level but it was there.

Jeez, that's just grim.

I don't think being a victim of DV means that Rihanna has a duty to speak about DV or women's rights issues. She is 27 and experienced this in a very public way at a very young age, I only remember Rihannas Oprah interview discussing the matter.

Also she has achieved a lot despite growing up in very difficult circumstances and rebounded from several setbacks. If it was a easy as showing some skin and strutting everyone would be doing it. She has huge global audience who buy and enjoy her music which is a difficult task these days.

She may have grown up in difficult circumstances but she is doing nothing to empower other young women in similarly difficult circumstances.
Her message is that the way to get on in life, to reach the heights that she has achieved is to to be hypersexual, that your body and the degree to which men find you sexually desirable is your greatest and only really valuable asset?
Effectively she is just perpetuating a situation where women are primarily valued for their sexual attractiveness and men are the ones who have real power in society.

A few women will get lucky and make it big by promoting themselves as sex object but most will be kept under the control of men.

Tbh it's Rihanna I expect no different.

TheX that's a good point

I don't think it's her job. I think these questions should be asked of people with actual power. During colonial rule in Jamaica my alot of my family worked for the British government, when I found out I was extremely ashamed. I hoped I came from a family which fought against oppression.

With retrospect my family took a pragmatic approach they had responsibilities and needed to survive. I think the title of this thread should be, 'why do women have to recreate and reinforce VAW in order to become successful.'

She doesn't have to a) be successful or b) perpetuate violence against women. She is making choices. I see it is a route to success, but this video is far from commonplace. Wasn't she successful already?

I'm sorry TheXxed but your apologist stance is just not cutting it, however much you dress it up as a race and gender issue. The fact is, it's a vile video which actively seeks to promote violence against women and which generates the message that above all else women should be dressed like sluts and sexually available.

Anyone who thinks this is somehow empowering or a sign that women are 'coming to take what is theirs' is sad, deluded, and - even worse - deeply stupid.

If either of my dds asked me what I thought of Rihanna - they are 14 and 11 btw - I would encourage them not to watch her videos because they are violent, sexist (misogynistic) and portray women as little more than a pair of tits and an arse, clad in slut's clothes. And my dds are deserving of something hugely more creative, intelligent and progressive than that.

Amen.

I wouldn't worry about it too much Innocent - after all, Rihanna herself has entitled her new ditty 'Bitch better have my money' - so I don't think she is too concerned by sexist terminology.

pepperpot do you not see the problem in calling a woman a slut? I think that's deeply misogynistic. Also I have said that I find the video problematic and upsetting.

I don't think she is deserving of the criticism she is receiving and I don't think it's is too dissimilar to videos and films already out there.

I am going to stop engaging with you now pepperpot I find you extreme unpleasant.

No worries there TheXxed; I think anyone who records a song entitled 'Bitch better have my money', then records a video of a woman being beaten up and tortured is deeply misogynistic. But hey that's just me .

As I said earlier IMO Rihanna portrays women in the worst possible light and writhes around in tarty clothes like some sort of grubby pole dancer. Even someone really dim and thick would find it difficult to find that 'empowering' or 'ironic' or a sign that women are 'coming to claim what is ours'. God help us all if that is what is held up as a role model to girls today. If you find that unpleasant then so be it.