At the stroke of midnight on Thursday, Rihanna launched the much anticipated video for her latest single, B—h Better Have My Money — and even some of her most loyal fans aren’t sure how they feel about it.
The slick, seven-minute short film is co-directed by Rihanna and has already received 12 million views in its first few days. Yet commentators, particularly feminists, can’t seem to agree on if the visual is brilliant or a gory piece of misogyny.
The plot is pretty straight forward — an accountant has defrauded the singer out of money, so she and two of her friends kidnap his wife; a wealthy white woman until he (the b—ch in question) pays her back.
There are those who appreciate the clip’s cinematic references and have even gone as far as to compare her directing skills to that of Tarantino. While others claim the pop star went too far and is just glorifying violence against women to sell albums.
Zeba Blay writes:
It’s the kind of video that, quite simply, would be lauded and never questioned if a white man (a man like Tarantino) made it. Does the discomfort some are feeling, the discomfort even I initially felt (and still do, faintly, with every rewatch), really have only to do with an aversion to violence? Or does it stem from this idea that a black woman could not only take ownership of this kind of stylized cinematic violence and rage, but also execute it in a way that rivals and challenges the mostly white men who are usually praised for it?
Of course, there are people who are triggered and upset by the work of Tarantino and directors like him, who criticize their use of sex and violence. But in spite of all, these men are able to cloak themselves with the title of auteur and visionary, and are very rarely ever held truly accountable.
If you have yet to see the video, you can check it out below.
Please be warned that it contains violence and nudity.
