Emma Matthews, editor of HTF’s sister fashion site The Closet, recently took a more considered look at the images and themes depicted in Rihanna’s ‘Bitch Better Have My Money‘ video with her recent article. You may want to give that a read first before continuing. Here’s my take…on that take.
The charges listed against bad gyal RiRi are as follows:
Rihanna has created a ‘woman-on-woman takedown that degrades, mocks and belittles her own sex‘
A feminist is someone who supports equal rights for women. Simple. So any woman who ‘degrades, mocks and belittles her own sex‘ couldn’t possibly be a feminist? OK.
Well Sarah Silverman has been causing controversy and hurting feelings for years. This particular video was taken from the 2007 MTV Movie Awards:
So Britney Spears (and her kids), Paris Hilton (who she famously tore apart moments before this clip) and Amy Winehouse all felt Silverman’s wrath. So when Sarah ‘degrades, mocks and belittles her own sex’ it’s safe to say she’s couldn’t possibly be a feminist right? Well no, as well as feminist issues being prevalent in her comedy, Sarah has been outspoken on issues ranging from abortion rights to the gender wage gap. These are feminist issues so her support for them would make her a feminist? Also given that she identifies as one.
But maybe Rihanna isn’t a feminist because of the violence depicted in the video? Well…
Vonda Ward is the 6″6 monster who ends up taking the dirt nap. Despite her height and weight advantage, 5″9 Ann Wolfe knocks out Vonda…another woman. So can we say that any woman who commits an act of violence against another woman isn’t a feminist? Champion MMA fighter Ronda Rousey, who amongst other achievements, (recently winning a match in 14 seconds), drew attention for comments concerning wanting to fight boxer Floyd Mayweather.
When asked if MMA is anti-woman, she said:
‘There are so many ridiculous arguments that MMA is somehow anti-woman, fighting is not a man’s thing, it is a human thing. To say that it is anti-woman is an anti-feminist statement. I’m the biggest draw in the sport and I’m a woman. How is it anti-woman?’
And if graphic depictions of violence against women result in one’s feminist card being revoked, then a film that depicts an exclusively female cast of victims meeting violent ends, as well as graphic sex and nudity would probably not be feminist? Well director, Palme D’or Winner and former Cannes president AND director of ‘In The Cut‘ Jane Campion, has been breaking barriers for female directors for decades. Most notably at the Cannes 50th Anniversary. When all 50 winners took to the stage, she was the sole woman among them.
A utopian ideal of the ‘sisterhood’ is a fantasy. Women will always be in conflict with each other. Humans will always been in conflict with each other, and surprise! women are human. However, these conflicts have absolutely nothing to do with being seen as equal. Men fight each other, and unfortunately they kidnap each other too. Equality here is the ability for women to be seen just as scummy, lowlife criminals as men.
(Taylor Swift and Katy Perry’s disagreement is fine, but Rihanna and unnamed blonde? Not so much…)
In the ‘Bad Blood‘ video Taylor Swift makes thinly veiled digs at none other than Katy Perry. Their ‘beef’ certainly is a petty one, and yes they are welcome to it. But are we really saying Rihanna’s FICTIONAL ‘woman-on-woman takedown‘ is worse than Taylor Swift’s ACTUAL takedown of Katy Perry? Whereas Rihanna pretends to kidnap and torture a woman in her video, Taylor Swift is genuinely taking shots at another woman in public, simply to further record sales.
Whereas when Jhene Aiko took to Twitter to suggest Rihanna’s (and other celebrities) leaked nudes meant she couldn’t be a role model for kids, then later suggested they do a song together, RiRi kept it simple and classy.
No drama, no video, no ‘woman-on-woman takedown’ just a little shade.
‘The blonde in Rihanna’s video appears to have done very little to her, expect maybe marry a man who I think we can all agree is a slimy, full of himself, weasel.‘
Here’s where a giant part of the video’s plot is missed. The first part of the video establishes the blonde in question is a Paris Hiltonesque socialite complete with handbag dog. We see her kiss an indifferent husband on the cheek before walking out of the door. Later in the video it’s revealed that every time Rihanna made the husband aware that his wife was being held hostage, he not only didn’t pay the ransom, but he instead literally threw money at strippers in the strip club. The blonde was a trophy wife. She was his property, and he attached no real feelings to her.
He doesn’t feel Rihanna is a credible threat and also simply doesn’t care about his wife, which either way shows a complete disregard for women in general.
If we flip some of the character motivations say: Husband loves Blonde and simply cannot afford to pay ransom. Instead of kidnap now it’s a home invasion where both Husband and Blonde are tied up, while Husband struggles in vain to protect her. If this is the case the video is less triumphant, no one’s on Rihanna’s side (except maybe hardcore fans and the mentally ill) and Rihanna looks like a sociopath.
The trophy wife establishes everything that’s wrong with the sort of man who seeks a woman as decoration, and the type of man who has a trophy wife is weak, morally bereft and not the sort of person one should do business with.
And Finally…
Two more reasons why this video is a strong feminist statement.
On at least two occasions we see Rihanna with blonde in trunk struggling to drag the trunk. While this may seem unimportant and maybe even unintentional it sends a definitive message. Rihanna has been wronged but we only ever see her seeking revenge and dominating everyone in the video. Rihanna is established as a strong character. Yet she struggles with the trunk. Typical depiction’s of Strong Female Characters, tend to lazily fall into said woman being ‘one of the guys’. Defining women by male standard of strength: physical strength, self defence and bearded (though hipsters have ruined that). This not so subtly implies that any woman who doesn’t own some muscles and a black belt, can’t be considered strong. It’s a core tenement of cultural feminism, where women don’t need to compete with men to be seen as equal, but instead by embracing their femininity they reveal their true selves. So despite not being able to powerfully lift the trunk over her head, not once is that seen as a disadvantage and her strength is present in every shot.
Also the opening and closing shot reveals a naked Rihanna covered in Husband’s blood laying in the trunk. Naked as in nipples. I’d be hard pressed as a heterosexual man to deny liking breasts in their right context, but covered in blood? I’m good thanks… and yes there are some men who will get off to that (because some people will get off to anything), the point is that once again…we see Rihanna’s breasts. They’re everywhere! You can’t escape them! Which is the same thing that happens to men in the middle of summer or at the beach or on a construction site. Whether toned men or flabby breasted men they have no problem taking their tops off and for the most part it’s not a problem. But women’s breasts?…outrage! See Rihanna’s (and many other celebrities) war with Instagram over deeming nipples (you know the part of the breast that doesn’t sell cars but provides life) explicit. The more we see of Rihanna’s breasts the less taboo they become and the more common place they are, the more equal a pair of man boobs and lady boobs will become. It’s an almost hilarious double standard but one that Rihanna is hell bent on ending. Whether or not she does it for controversy, it makes a strong point, about how our culture sees women.
The word ‘Feminist’ is thrown around so much these days, it’s easy to scoff at the idea of a pop music video doing anything other than jumping on a bandwagon, however ‘Bitch Better Have My Money‘, portrays a fearlessly strong woman hell bent on revenge without having to pander to daytime TV.
That’s my take, what do you think? Is it a feminist masterpiece or degrading to women? Let us know.
