Rihanna and intersectional feminism

[iammalcolmx]

Yall gonna make me watch this video

[rugbywife]

The second article made me understand a lot of things I don't think I had ever considered before. It was a good read. I liked the video too.

[sfy]

I agree primarily with the first writer and I love Rihanna. The gratuitous nudity and the violence against the wife turned me off. If I shut the feminist part of my brain like I do sometimes for certain songs, then sure, it was entertaining. But working with my full faculties, no. The guy stays clothed while Rihanna and the wife end up nude. We see the wife get tortured but the only violence against the accountant was implied. I can't even address the nonsense about survival because this is about a multimillionaire who was missing a few million. Nothing in the video ever indicated or implied anything about Rihanna's survival.

[twohearted]

I don't know much about Rihanna, but has she done or said things in the past that would lead someone to assume the second interpretation? I usually assume things like this are done by pop stars to intentionally stir up controversy and it is a waste of time to look for a deeper message. I'm sure there are exceptions though.

I honestly have trouble getting past anything related to torture. But if that is the imagery you are going to use I would be less distressed if it was retribution for something heinous and if it was all directed at the person who wronged you.

[mx27]

sex and violence sell...end of story.

"artists" these days stick to the old formula b/c it works. I put artists in quotes because I think some of these entertainers aren't as creative as they think they are.

[readyin07]

Jul 5, 2015 10:39:07 GMT -5 @246baje said:

And then there's this from Black. Girl Dangerous for the opposing point of view.

www.blackgirldangerous.org/2015/07/this-is-what-rihannas-bbhmm-video-says-about-black-women-white-women-and-feminism/

The innanetz are all abuzz over Rihanna’s new #BBHMM video. White Feminists™ are especially upset, many of them calling the video “misogynist”. It’s been called “torture porn” and “incredibly violent”. I watched the video and…well…I see why White Feminists™ are so upset.



Yes, there is violence (not nearly as much as an R-rated movie, tho. Almost all of the violence is implied). Yes, there are images of a woman being kidnapped, held hostage, and even hung upside down from the ceiling while topless. These are the kinds of images we see a lot in violent revenge films. They can be upsetting and harmful. I didn’t like seeing them here. But they’re also not the entire story.



Let me tell you what I see when I watch this video: I see a black woman putting her own well-being above the well-being of a white woman.



Let’s be clear: white women put their own needs and well-being above those of black women every day and call it “feminism”.



BGD is a reader-funded, non-profit project. Please GIVE today and help amplify marginalized voices.


Here, Rihanna flips the script: if a white woman has to suffer some so that she, a black woman, can survive, so be it. After all, white women have been surviving on our suffering for hundreds of years.



Black women are always expected to put our needs last on our list of priorities. Behind everybody else’s. A black woman saying “my well-being (which is what money is—the ability to pay rent, feed ourselves, stay alive, etc.) is more important to me than the well-being of this random white woman” is what white feminists are really losing their shit over.



Imagine if instead of kidnapping the accountant’s wife, Rihanna and her crew kidnapped his brother? Would White Feminists™ be so upset? I doubt it. Because they understand that revenge fantasies wherein women hurt men are pushing back against the harm men do to us. But here’s what white feminists don’t get (and what has them fucked up): black women often see white women as the same as white men. The harm done to us by white men and white women isn’t vastly different to many of us. White women have been unapologetically violent towards black women for centuries. They’ve used the power of the state, of the police, of the courts, of the media, and of individual white men to harm black people, including black women, time and time again. They are as harmful to us as white men are. So, for many of us, kidnapping the white brother or the white wife is all the same.



In this video, Rihanna is unconcerned with the well-being of a white person (who is a woman), when her own well-being is at stake. In fact, she’s willing to do harm to her in order to survive. That’s the thing about this video that makes white feminists so very, very uncomfortable.



I’m not saying it’s okay for black women to harm white women. I’m saying that most of the time, we don’t. I’m saying we are harmed by white women much, much more often and this is a revenge fantasy video that understands that, even if white feminists don’t.



(Sidenote: if you believe that Rihanna meant everything in the video literally, and not metaphorically or allegorcially, examine why you believe this black woman isn’t capable of creative and socio-political vision. Did you think every video Madonna made was literal? How about Lady Gaga?)



White women have been taught that black women are supposed to treat them as “our sisters” and even “ourselves” despite the fact that white women throw us under the bus, and much worse, on the daily. White women’s brand of feminism always devalues and degrades black women, but black women are supposed to always prioritize them in our feminism and, frankly, our lives.



Cue eleventy thousand white women accusing me of being “divisive” for even pointing this out. (Save it. You’re only proving my point.)



What I see in this video is a black woman whose priority for survival is herself. Not a white woman.



I’m here for that.

Gosh dang if this doesn't bring up some good freaking commentary if this was the point Rhianna and team were making...which admittedly gives them a lot of credit.

I'm a white feminist. I have all sorts of issues with glorifying women being tortured, particularly when as others said it's coming from a place of Rhianna the rich superstar and her cash and not her survival. It's gonna be hard for me to nod along with it even with the great arguments brought up above.  Please don't make me have to watch the video. Irrelevant, but what did the account do to illicit this kind of, ahem, response?

White feminists traditionally want to be all kumbaya so you know this isn't going to go over.  It's a divisive point as well all know...a lot to think about....I need to stew on this one for a little bit.

[readyin07]

Excuse misspelling of Rihanna!

[Deleted]

Why does anyone take this chick seriously?

[summer]

Rihanna's singing sounds exactly like the baby goats you hear crying at the petting zoo. That is all. Carry on.

[NitaX]

I watched the video. You know what it's like - Kill Bill. So, I'm not mad at RiRi for doing her thing here. The entire time I watched the video, I started thinking about the number of shady ass mofos that swindle artists out of their money. Then I see that RiRi herself fell victim? Naw. Not mad at her.

Imma say that RiRi put her anger in her music. I'll say that's no different than Taylor Swift and Adele singing about men who broke their hearts. And - I think we wanna again put RiRi in a space like Beyonce. RiRi ain't that, so why are we trying to lash at her about feminism and how she shouldn't beat up another woman to prove her point abut BBHMM? RiRi ain't gonna ever be here for that.

[NitaX]

OAN - I'm finna put this on my Mad Music playlist. CAUSE LAWD THESE PEOPLE AT MY JOB BE PISSING ME THE FUCK OFF.

[NitaX]

Jul 6, 2015 11:27:54 GMT -5 @koko said:

Jul 6, 2015 11:09:17 GMT -5 NitaX said:

I watched the video. You know what it's like - Kill Bill. So, I'm not mad at RiRi for doing her thing here. The entire time I watched the video, I started thinking about the number of shady ass mofos that swindle artists out of their money. Then I see that RiRi herself fell victim? Naw. Not mad at her.

Imma say that RiRi put her anger in her music. I'll say that's no different than Taylor Swift and Adele singing about men who broke their hearts. And - I think we wanna again put RiRi in a space like Beyonce. RiRi ain't that, so why are we trying to lash at her about feminism and how she shouldn't beat up another woman to prove her point abut BBHMM? RiRi ain't gonna ever be here for that.

I was not a fan of Kill Bill either.

AT LEAST I CAN CLAIM CONTINUITY IN MY PEARL CLUTCHAGE.

And I liked Kill Bill. LOL So, I got it. 

I think people just go a bridge too far in trying to make everyone be super-conscious and self-aware. It's RiRi. Boo ain't thinking about shit except money and Chris Brown. Now, what I wish she would do is a video where she comes to learn Fist Brown ain't shit and takes revenge on him. That would be awesome. 

[sfy]

Jul 6, 2015 11:27:54 GMT -5 @koko said:

Jul 6, 2015 11:09:17 GMT -5 NitaX said:

I watched the video. You know what it's like - Kill Bill. So, I'm not mad at RiRi for doing her thing here. The entire time I watched the video, I started thinking about the number of shady ass mofos that swindle artists out of their money. Then I see that RiRi herself fell victim? Naw. Not mad at her.

Imma say that RiRi put her anger in her music. I'll say that's no different than Taylor Swift and Adele singing about men who broke their hearts. And - I think we wanna again put RiRi in a space like Beyonce. RiRi ain't that, so why are we trying to lash at her about feminism and how she shouldn't beat up another woman to prove her point abut BBHMM? RiRi ain't gonna ever be here for that.

I was not a fan of Kill Bill either.

AT LEAST I CAN CLAIM CONTINUITY IN MY PEARL CLUTCHAGE.

Lol!  I loved Kill Bill, but I already know Tarantino is a piece of shit.  I'd rather not put Rihanna on that list.

[downtoearth]

So, wait, did Rihanna say this was anything feminist or is she just pissed at some accounting firm who is/was handling her finances and the kidnapping is a personification of her anger? It seems like both of the articles are reading too much into it if Rihanna is just mad at the accountant. I mean, I don't like the video (or Kill Bill) b/c I don't like the random violence and it seems stupid that the white woman is topless, but I think both articles could agree that the music industry does crap-on women in videos way more then men and not read more into it than is there. 

But I do understand that the anger at financial advisors/accountants, who likely white, taking advantage of people who have not managed such huge amounts of money (e.g. subprime mortgage crisis, NFL/NBA signing bonuses often gone due to poor financial help/planners, etc.), but I also don't know what exactly happened. (Was this about 5 years ago when she bought bad real estate or her tour did poorly?)

[downtoearth]

Jul 6, 2015 11:52:24 GMT -5 @koko said:

Jul 6, 2015 11:47:19 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

So, wait, did Rihanna say this was anything feminist or is she just pissed at some accounting firm who is/was handling her finances and the kidnapping is a personification of her anger? It seems like both of the articles are reading too much into it if Rihanna is just mad at the accountant. I mean, I don't like the video (or Kill Bill) b/c I don't like the random violence and it seems stupid that the white woman is topless.

But I do understand that the anger at financial advisors/accountants, who likely white, taking advantage of people who have not managed such huge amounts of money (e.g. subprime mortgage crisis, NFL/NBA signing bonuses often gone due to poor financial help/planners, etc.), but I also don't know what exactly happened. (Was this about 5 years ago when she bought bad real estate or her tour did poorly?)

She took her accountant to court last year and said he cost her $9M by mismanaging and giving her bad advice.  Like, she lost $9M in one year.  And she lost the court case (or it settled out of court), and then this video came out.

Ah, so it was over that real estate purchase about 5 years ago. Yeah, I'd be pissed if I were her too, but I also think the video is NMS.

[iammalcolmx]

Jul 6, 2015 0:05:51 GMT -5 summer said:

Rihanna's singing sounds exactly like the baby goats you hear crying at the petting zoo. That is all. Carry on.

[NitaX]

Jul 6, 2015 12:59:48 GMT -5 @246baje said:

Here's a better article although I'm amused at the coy "BBHMM may be about her former accountant" lol.

www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2015/07/05/reasons-we-think-bbhmm-is-about-rihannas-former-accountant-peter-gounis/

The accountant also effed up her taxes and got her audited.

I don't think Rihanna was making a feminist statement one way or the other. I think she has a forum in which to act out her anger and her fantasies. I also think that making people talk lines her pockets so being outrageous is kinda her thing.

I agree that she can't sing but it has been irrelevant to her career.

Also I like the song better when I watch the video. As a stand alone I find it weird as hell. You can't dance to it or sing along to it, it only works as a sound track to this craziness.

I agree with this. I guess this is why I'm not mad at RiRi for this. I mean - $9 million?! GOT.DAYUM. That said, it's still on my Mad Music list. LOL

I didn't know the backstory until now, but in watching the video, I immediately went to folks like TLC that got bent the fuck over with no vaseline when it came to get raw deals. Knowing that RiRi had the same issue - GET IT OUT BOO. Take artistic license for therapy. 

[sfy]

Jul 6, 2015 12:42:09 GMT -5 @246baje said:

Jul 6, 2015 11:54:10 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Ah, so it was over that real estate purchase about 5 years ago. Yeah, I'd be pissed if I were her too, but I also think the video is NMS.

I think it was that plus a tour.

I get why she is mad. She was 16-21 when she wa using these accountants. The accountants were recommended to her when she was a minor coming from a tiny island to a huge country and they robbed her blind. I think it was reported that on her tour in question they took 22% and she got 6%.

I came to this country at 23 and stumbled a lot in tryng to figure out the financial system. If someone had actively stolen from me and advised me poorly I'd be mad too.

I don't think anyone is questioning why she is mad, but come on, realistically, she did this in the way that she did it because she wanted to make this video.  Why torture and abuse the wife and not the actual accountant?  Why is she naked?  Why is Rihanna naked?  I mean this still has more to do with her desire to make a sexually graphic and salacious video than her actually wanting some kind of revenge on her accountant (since this doesn't do that at all).  I'm not mad at her fury or the need work it out artistically, but I can't have a serious conversation about this video being shot like this as a direct result of her anger any more than a serious conversation about her choosing her survival over the other woman's.  She liked the concept and ran with it and just didn't care about the misogny involved.  Let's call it what it is.

[mominatrix]

Jul 6, 2015 13:30:34 GMT -5 sfy said:

Jul 6, 2015 12:42:09 GMT -5 @246baje said:

Why torture and abuse the wife and not the actual accountant?  Why is she naked?  Why is Rihanna naked?  I mean this still has more to do with her desire to make a sexually graphic and salacious video than her actually wanting some kind of revenge on her accountant (since this doesn't do that at all).  I'm not mad at her fury or the need work it out artistically, but I can't have a serious conversation about this video being shot like this as a direct result of her anger any more than a serious conversation about her choosing her survival over the other woman's.  She liked the concept and ran with it and just didn't care about the misogny involved.  Let's call it what it is.

this is what I kept asking... why torture the wife? why kidnap the wife? she wasn't responsible for the money...

you want to make a feminist statement about power, you kidnap the PERSON WHO ACTUALLY FUCKED YOU UP, even if they're male... then you do that crap to them. 

watching the video, it seemed like the accountant got off easy compared to the wife. if I were acting out a revenge fantasy, that wouldn't be the way I'd play it.

[laladypoet]

it would've been great to see mads mikkelsen all nekkid.

rihanna is ri-goddamn-diculous. it's a catchy beat though. and I've seen some youtube videos where dance crews (? I'm old) do choreography to it, and it's awesome.

eta: spelling. whatever.

[mx27]

Jul 6, 2015 13:59:56 GMT -5 mominatrix said:

Jul 6, 2015 13:30:34 GMT -5 sfy said:

Why torture and abuse the wife and not the actual accountant?  Why is she naked?  Why is Rihanna naked?  I mean this still has more to do with her desire to make a sexually graphic and salacious video than her actually wanting some kind of revenge on her accountant (since this doesn't do that at all).  I'm not mad at her fury or the need work it out artistically, but I can't have a serious conversation about this video being shot like this as a direct result of her anger any more than a serious conversation about her choosing her survival over the other woman's.  She liked the concept and ran with it and just didn't care about the misogny involved.  Let's call it what it is.

this is what I kept asking... why torture the wife? why kidnap the wife? she wasn't responsible for the money...

you want to make a feminist statement about power, you kidnap the PERSON WHO ACTUALLY FUCKED YOU UP, even if they're male... then you do that crap to them. 

watching the video, it seemed like the accountant got off easy compared to the wife. if I were acting out a revenge fantasy, that wouldn't be the way I'd play it.

because it's more titillating that way!

come on, people!  this is nothing new.

did you read about how miley cyrus was caught making out with a female model!(*&**^(*&()&(#)!!!

OMG, she's so provocative!

they're all the same. 

snooze.

[marriedfilingjoint]

As an accountant reading the WaPo article, none of it makes any sense. Accountants cannot legally base their fees on your income. That is not how fees work. You have to pay to have your taxes done whether your business makes or loses money. If it takes my firm 500 hours to do the work required, you're getting billed for 500 hours whether your tour made money or lost money. We still have to pay our staff for the work they do. We still have to pay for accounting software and research software and rent and power. This is business 101.

Second, anyone can get audited. An IRS audit, in no way shape or form, implies fraud on the accountant's part. Could there have been mistakes? Sure. Could he have royally fucked up? Absolutely. But that information is not present in the article and you cannot simply assume an audit is the result of professional error. People get audited. Audits are often random. High net worth individuals are far more likely to be audited than someone who's tax liability was $5k. Because duh. That's how the IRS makes audits worth their effort.

Accountants also don't help you buy real estate. Unless this is some special services firm that deals with celebrities' finances in a super comprehensive way that I have never heard of before, I don't see how it's her accountant's fault that she made a (mildly) shitty home purchase.  If she only lost $2M on a $7.5M home that she paid cash for (why?) in 2009, she's in much better shape than everyone else who sold homes that year.  LOL that having "only" $2M in cash at the end of the year is "practically bankrupt." (I'm also pulling from this article:  www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2558530/Rihanna-sues-accountant-bad-advice-led-squandering-9m-ONE-YEAR.html).

[marriedfilingjoint]

And honestly, do we really think Rihanna is making a strong racial/feminist statement? Really? Have we seen her misspelled tattoos? Have we heard her give an interview? Girl is not super bright. I realize there are circumstances here, but come on.