Should we expect artists to be role models?

In a short word, I guess, no. I often write about artists who through their work provide images of female empowerment, be it stealthy or overt. As much as I think this is important, I think it's easy to fall into the trap of expecting women in the entertainment to be superwomen, or better yet, super feminists (even if they don't identify as such). I'm a huge fan of Ann Powers, but I was ultimately disappointed in her piece  on Rihanna's "Birthday Cake," a duet recorded with her abuser, Chris Brown:

What's upsetting for those of us who admire Rihanna's talent and boldness — and for me as a feminist — is that she has clearly not taken up the narrative of women's enlightenment and self-liberation. Quite the opposite — the story she wants to tell is the one in which the endangered woman doesn't get out, or leaves for a while but comes back, or at best does leave, but can't resolve the mixed feelings she has about her choice.

It's not so much her disappointment in Rihanna's choice to work with Chris that gives me pause -- I think that's expected and inevitable -- it's her claim that Rihanna isn't acting as she wants her to. Blackamazon has a more nuanced discussion  on her Tumblr that I can provide, but it's little disheartening to see seasoned critics lay claim to an artist in a way that fans are normally chided for. Also, it's indicative of something I see from feminists of my generation far too often: criticizing women for not acting in ways that are perfectly in line with feminism.

The Blogosphere Reacts to Rihanna's "Man Down" Video

Rihanna's new video, "Man Down," in which she guns down a rapist, has garnered quite a bit of controversy since its release, coming under fire from conservative parents' groups and Fox News (shocking, I know), but I've been following the commentary within the feminist blogosphere, and I thought I'd excerpt some of the best of it here.

(Note: I've watched this video all of one time before it was pulled from YouTube, so I haven't much to add, but yeah, obviously, the controversy is based on the "woman with a revenge fantasy" trope, and it's a little more nuanced than that, and instead of condemning Rihanna, or demanding her video be pulled, how about using it as a means to spearhead discussions on women and agency, and the "good victim" stereotype?)

I find the absence of that song peculiar in these discussions, but I think–this is my theory anyway–it’s because the moment of that song–as she and her abuser are both about home, both about to finish what his stint in jail interrupted–doesn’t give room for sanctimony. It’s easy to pearl clutch once the dude is dead–”Oh, how terrible that Rihanna made a video in which a man [who rapes her character] is gunned down!” “Oh, how terrible that Garth Brooks sings about a woman who kills her [abusive] husband!” “Oh, it’s the end of the world that The Dixie Chicks make light of a woman and her friend murdering her [abusive] husband!” But when you’re in that moment before the confrontation–where you know as well as the singer that only one of them is going to come out standing–it’s harder to object. (Tiny Cat Pants)

Yes, Rihanna may simply be a good celebrity target, but it is utterly disturbing the manner in which any portraits that offer complicated, three dimensional representations of Black women are now unceremoniously banned from the air. These days, Black women and our experiences of rape and sexual violence are forced into invisibility when they don’t fit mainstream, pristine narratives of how to cope. Whether it be Rihanna’s teenaged fans, immigrants working as hotel maids all over this country, eleven year old Latina girls in Texas, or the Black girl next door to you, women of color are deemed deviant even for voicing our narratives of rape and sexual assault, especially when our stories insinuate that we are morally complex human beings. That is unfortunate, dangerous, and frankly infuriating. (The Crunk Feminist Collective)

Here's a fantastic thread on Tumblr about race, gender, and the society's expectations -- who we "allow" to have these kinds of emotions. Aerosmith's "Janie's Got a Gun" is referenced here, a twenty-year-old video with a similar theme. And also via Tumblr, Cara from The Curvature compares "Man Down" to the uproar over Thelma and Louise, and makes some important points about "Man Down" being as much about self-defense as it is revenge:

But the point is that it doesn’t even occur to most people that she might not have been killing (only) out of revenge, but out of self-defense. That she might have been actively protecting her safety. Because they don’t understand the fact that you don’t know whether your abuser is ever going to come back, that you don’t know whether they’re going to harm you again. They don’t know what it’s like (or don’t make the connection between it and these actions) to constantly look over your shoulder, to never ever feel safe, to know that you never, ever will until/unless that abuser gone.

Thoughts on Eminem and Rihanna's "Love the Way You Lie"

First off, let me say I'm am not an Eminem apologist, though I have taken the heat a few times for defending him as a songwriter who I still think is, at times, nothing short of brilliant. If you haven't seen the video, or read the hype, "Love the Way You Lie" pairs Eminem with Rihanna, and features Megan Fox as a victim of domestic abuse. It's an odd song; Rihanana's vocals seem disjointed somehow, but overall effect is compelling. I think the song is nuanced enough to merit the hype, and I don't see the video as glamorizing domestic abuse -- quite the opposite, actually. Part of me feels like I shouldn't be defending it. On one hard, art is often messy and complicated, and it doesn't have to be responsible to be valid. The SF Gate wonders if the video should be used a teaching tool. (Via The Curvature)

"And the debate has begun: Is the song a treatise against (or apology for) domestic violence, or an irresponsible glorification of it? Or, is it something uncomfortable in between? And how exactly to explain the role of Rihanna, who has said she aims to help young people learn the lessons of her ordeal?"

Dodai from Jezebel adds:

"...when a sad-faced Rihanna sings, "I love the way you lie," it's almost as if she's yearning. Perhaps it's cathartic. But there's nothing glamorous about two people going up in flames, which is how the clip ends. There are no winners; only destruction. There have been excellent, artful films about war, with the message still clear: War is hell. And if there are mixed emotions in the video — an undefined line as to whether this particular type of suffering is attractive or repulsive — well, isn't that the point? It's not a public service announcement, it's just a perspective."