It’s possible Rihanna’s new single, “S&M” (lyrics here), isn’t about having sex involving whips and chains but her relationship to the media. Her new video, which depicts her wearing a newspaper ballgown at a press conference where she’s trapped by Saran Wrap and reporters are gagged, would suggest as much. Or maybe she decided, as many divas tend to do these days, that whatever was in her video didn’t have to relate to the song as long as the clothes and makeup were flashy and people talked about it. Maybe this is not Rihanna’s deep comment on anything but a bit of cheeky, colorful fun allowing for what some may consider shocking visuals of her being tied up and nearly naked.
But the overall concept, while it has clichés, avoids being as cliché as it could be. It’s more original than Christina Aguilera’s “Not Myself Tonight,” for example. And Rihanna has some winning fashion moments, including the aforementioned newspaper dress, which suits her. Also, she’s got her hands (and breasts) all over one of the spring 2011 fur Prada stoles, which those of you who pay lots of attention to fashion magazines will see so much of this spring you might actually have the thought, “If I see ANOTHER blue and green stole …” And you know what? Maybe that’s where the banana she puts in her mouth toward the end comes in. She doesn’t wear the banana-printed items from that Prada collection (maybe they weren’t shiny and skimpy enough for her concept), but she can “na na na” it to a real banana, and eat it on camera, which is something most chicks don’t want to do in public. Go girl, and all that stuff! Do watch the video and share your thoughts on the styling. Do divas need a new latex, or does this prove they just need more of it?
