How Today’s Female Stars are “Repackaging Toxic Masculinity” for a Female Audience
Some might say this is an example of girl power and feminist empowerment. Others may see something more disturbing. It’s a discussion worth having. Salon takes a look at what’s going on with a couple of female superstars.
Throughout her video for “Bitch Better Have My Money,” Rihanna’s new gleefully violent revenge anthem, Rihanna channels the motifs, images and iconography of directors ranging from Martin Scorsese to Quentin Tarantino. Rihanna’s video aims to shock and titillate viewers with scenes of sexualized violence. In one of the first scenes a kidnapped woman is hung upside down, topless. We see images of her incapacitated, forced to drink and vomit in a bucket, and hit over the head with a glass bottle when she tries to seek out help. In the end, the twist of the video is that the “bitch” refers not to the beautiful woman who has been kidnapped, but her husband, who refuses to dish out money, even after learning that his wife is being tortured.
One of the intriguing aspects of “BBHMM” is just how divided women have been in their response to the seven-minute music video. Rihanna’s use of a female body as kidnapping victim has caused many feminists to express concern, just as Rihanna’s reclaiming of power from a white, wealthy couple who tried to victimize her has been seen by other feminists as brave and triumphant.
And for no particular reason, here’s Miss Piggy who felt the need to channel Rihanna. This was posted yesterday.
