When I saw the pictures of artist Rhianna at the CDFA awards I was a little taken aback. Beautiful girl. Beautiful dress but so…explicit.
Her practically bare bottom sashaying boldly up the steps held a deeper, even socio-political meaning I think.
For whilst we can still remember Madonna pushing sexual and nudity boundaries I don’t recall her going this far…as in walking around in public basically with her underpants on. Pics and videos yes.
I’ve held off on this story just…pondering…
Help me out here!
Tell me what YOU make of it all. Can you answer the questions of a pondering mind?
- What does this mean in terms of a woman’s right to wear what she wants whether that is a burka or this dress?
- Is the next step just straight up nudity at celebrity events?
- She was receiving a fashion award. Is this really the emperors new clothes or indeed the empress un-clothed?
- What if a man turned up with his arse out and schlong barely hidden behind mesh netting, would that be okay too?
- Would you know where to look if she offered you an olive at the after party?
- Is this a sign of society becoming more chilled, artistic, blind, stupid, or going to hell in a hand basket?
- What if Rhianna was 22 stone with less of a pert posterior…would the fashionistas still be clapping?
- How on earth will Miley Cyrus top this one?!!
For those not sure what the fuss is about,
THE EDITOR'S JOURNAL 
[…] boob or under boob (or more) exposed or they are not worthy of next day headlines. Remember our Rhianna piece? Is this considered freedom now? Women in other countries are fighting for the right not to […]
[…] is the new cover of Paper magazine. As with the post on Rhianna’s bottom, a woman’s exposed bottom is never just a woman’s exposed […]
Just want to say what a nice piece this is, i particularly enjoyed going through the comments, really insightful, thoughtful and revealing. BTW, i think this is a reflection of the time we live in, ME, MYSELF AND I.
It is isn’t it? And with fewer boundaries who knows where it’s all headed?
I’ve learned that, as a man, my role in commentary around women’s bodies is to SHUT THE H#LL UP.
Having said that, the baser instincts make me want to look, my higher instincts keep screaming “HER EYES! FIND HER EYES… QUICK!”
And the other side we seldom consider: when we get old and gravity has taken its toll on our bodies, wouldn’t most of us who have been particularly fit at some point in our younger years wish that we had had the confidence to show off what a mix of genetics, hard work (and sometimes surgery) had given us, for as long as we had it?
I just know that I’d be awkward if I had to carry on a conversation with her face to face in that dress. There is no Universal Social Contract Handbook for situations like this.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have about six thousand situps I need to do…
Agree on many levels. However if someone put that stuff in my face, I’m going to look. It’s not for ME to avert my eyes. That would be in my Universal Social Contract Handbook chapter 1 – which also deals with people who like to make out rampantly in public.
But your finding her eyes comment did make me lol!
The gravity issue is also a poignant one.
The dress is very pretty but being in public, she should have covered up a little more. If I was a straight guy (or gay woman), even though I wouldn’t mind looking, I would also want her to show less. There has to be some mystery. On top of that, not everyone wants to see it. When photos like that or worse are on the net or magazine, anyone can look away but when it’s out in the public, it’s in your face and one can’t help but look.
She is a beautiful woman but doesn’t mean she should show off her goodies. I wish I knew if she was trying to make a statement and what. It still probably wouldn’t make how I feel change.
(Q) What does this mean in terms of a woman’s right to wear what she wants whether that is a burka or this dress? (A) I think everyone has the right to wear what they want but she might as well not wear anything at all when it comes to that dress. Anybody else would get a ticket or arrested for indecent exposure so why does famous people get away with it?
(Q) Is the next step just straight up nudity at celebrity events? (A) I don’t think so but I guess time would tell. I would think that these events would have a dress code saying that celbs can’t show their goodies.
(Q) She was receiving a fashion award. Is this really the emperors new clothes or indeed the empress un-clothed? (A) I think a lot of times people in that industry feel they can do anything they want and a lot of people will either talk about it or ignore thinking nothing is wrong. I don’t even get the whole best and worst dress etc. It’s just clothes and everyone has different taste. I guess I just don’t understand the fashion industry.
(Q) What if a man turned up with his arse out and schlong barely hidden behind mesh netting, would that be okay too? (A) Coming from a straight women, no it’s not even ok for a man. Yes it would be eye candy but again, I would rather leave it up to the imagination. There are ways to see nudity if one wanted to see it and out in public isn’t one. (Off topic from this question) The only way I could see nudity in public being right is if it’s for an art reason (painting photography etc) but even then there needs to be some seclusion. This whole thing is kinda like going to a beach and seeing certain people dressed in ways you just don’t want to see but can’t get away from.
(Q) Would you know where to look if she offered you an olive at the after party? Yes, her eyes. I would still feel uneasy and want to look at her dress even though I’m a straight female.
(Q) Is this a sign of society becoming more chilled, artistic, blind, stupid, or going to hell in a hand basket? (A) Not sure really. I think sometimes people are afraid to say something face to face but have no problem saying something behind a screen. Meaning, I can see a lot of people pretending this is ok but then say something different behind their devices.
(Q) What if Rhianna was 22 stone with less of a pert posterior…would the fashionistas still be clapping? (A) I would still think she looked great but I think there would be a little more talk about it because today having meat on the bones is considered fat. One can love their bodies and not ashamed but there are other ways to express that. Yes young ladies needs to understand that they can be beautiful but they need to also be told/shown how to be beautiful without displaying the goods.
About the Miley thing, I don’t want to know.
(Q) What does this mean in terms of a woman’s right to wear what she wants whether that is a burka or this dress? (A) I think everyone has the right to wear what they want but she might as well not wear anything at all when it comes to that dress. Anybody else would get a ticket or arrested for indecent exposure so why does famous people get away with it? = I think that depends on where you are in the world.
(Q) Is the next step just straight up nudity at celebrity events? (A) I don’t think so but I guess time would tell. I would think that these events would have a dress code saying that celbs can’t show their goodies. = Wow! Do you remember good old fashioned dress codes?
(Q) She was receiving a fashion award. Is this really the emperors new clothes or indeed the empress un-clothed? (A) I think a lot of times people in that industry feel they can do anything they want and a lot of people will either talk about it or ignore thinking nothing is wrong. I don’t even get the whole best and worst dress etc. It’s just clothes and everyone has different taste. I guess I just don’t understand the fashion industry. = It’s purely a function to obtain media exposire and sell more.
(Q) Is this a sign of society becoming more chilled, artistic, blind, stupid, or going to hell in a hand basket? (A) Not sure really. I think sometimes people are afraid to say something face to face but have no problem saying something behind a screen. Meaning, I can see a lot of people pretending this is ok but then say something different behind their devices. = Agreed. 🙂
About the Miley thing, I don’t want to know. = Lol.
Bette Midler was a fan of showing her buttocks back in the day…..so I guess Rihanna’s doesn’t faze me that much. As for Miley…..that’s a whole nother story!!
Oooogh! Maria! You’re just naughty! Leaving us hanging there. Why does Rhianna not faze you but Miley does?
Plus I think there was something about Bette Midler and her super talent in plural artistic areas and her sense of humour that would have taken the sting off wearing such a dress.
I don’t think there is any humour attached to Rhianna’s wearing of it.
Well, she looks like she got let out of the playboy mansion too soon and forgot how to dress.! She looks pathetic, seriously, and she’s winning a FASHION award? In my opinion her dress is tacky and tasteless, makes no statement, and screams ‘I need therapy!’
The way she has dressed herself (not), is a true reflection of how money cannot buy class.
She sadly looks cheap and desperate and really stupid. If a guy dressed with his schlong hanging out, we’d laugh ourselves silly as women, as would men I imagine. So I suspect there’s a lot of ‘cross eyed’ ‘what is wrong with her?’ gossip going on, but definitely no respect. Silly lady, what happened to her wardrobe woman??
Miley Cyrus gets away with it because she’s such a great ad for trailer trash, but this one? uh uh…sad I tell you. Perhaps she’s competing…LOL
You tell ’em D! LOL! I never thought you would take too kindly to the young lady’s display! 🙂
okayyy…I do not like Rhianna at all. I think she is a crazy person who doe crazy things.
That right there shows how crazy she is. Women can do whatever they want but sometimes we have to control ourselves. I don’t think she should have worn that dress at all especially to an event like this. I do not know what she is trying to prove but it does not look good at all.
Okey doke! TRG. She may not even be trying to prove anything to be honest – just ‘innocently’ wearing a nudey dress, who knows? 🙂
“Sleeping? You’re new around these here parts aintcha?!! ;)”
Yes, quite new. You followed my blog, so I was being nosey 😉 oh, and I live in the UK so there is, as always with the internet, a time-shift involved!
“How do you mean photoshopped? these are pap pictures not pictures controlled by her people?”
Well, pretty much any picture you see in the press or magazines these days are edited in some way, in some cases the publishers don’t actually accept pictures that haven’t been ‘digitally enhanced’ ; but coming back to these pictures specifically.
If you look in particularly at the NSFW images, you can see that there is over-smoothing involved in the patches of skin showing especially around the face in the breasts picture. The glimmer stuff they (make-up artists) use has also been enhanced.
The eye makeup as well, but I can’t say for sure that digital editing is the culprit there. If you look up ‘photoshopping photos’ you’ll probably be able to gather a few of these tell-tales as well.
“Yes I would agree with the sadness behind the eyes. Not sure if we can liberally pin it on the dress though. She looks a bit not quite there or high if I was to be frank. But none of us could know. What say you?”
I still think the culture around celebrities and the increasingly provocative images showing up in the media are ultimately going to destroy what value there was in ‘improving the aesthetic’ in the first place (If there was any to begin with).
I think it’s time we, in the west came back down from the glitz and glamour gluttony and start seeking to find the real people behind the masks again, maybe then fewer celebrities will have to turn to drugs and the like to escape the fakery they have to endure ‘for sales’.
I am pretty sure it is happening, allbeit slowly.
Those are interesting questions, but what is it you are looking for in an answer?
By which I mean, do you want a personal opinion, cultural reflection or Philosophic point of view?
Okay, since these posts are moderated and you’re probably sleeping (or at work) 😉 I’ll just write from the top of my head…. ish
Okay, so I’m not attracted to Rhianna – and I don’t especially like her music, so I’ll get that out of the way first 🙂
When I first saw this post, I thought – she looks like a porcelain doll, very rigid and stiff in these pictures, they don’t feel alive to me. Second, when I read that you wanted feedback on the dress, which at this point I hadn’t noticed was actually see-through. I went back to the pictures and saw the transparency, and noticed her expressions.
So few people here noticed them, her expressions in these pictures tell me a story.
To me, those expressions look very sad – she doesn’t like the dress, and doesn’t like the photographs. So I take just one thing from that impression, that this is a casualty of all that is wrong with the media industry and ‘celebrity’ nowadays.
It’s all about ‘shock and awe’ to recall a term from the beginning of the war in Iraq. The pictures are photo-shopped within an inch of their lives, and yes, they probably did sell more music from this event, but my question is, and has to be, why?
Do we run the risk of losing the person amongst all the glitz and overblown shammery?
I personally think we do.
Sleeping? You’re new around these here parts aintcha?!! 😉
How do you mean photoshopped? these are pap pictures not pictures controlled by her people?
Yes I would agree with the sadness behind the eyes. Not sure if we can liberally pin it on the dress though. She looks a bit not quite there or high if I was to be frank. But none of us could know.
What say you?
No rules! Whatever you think represents what you feel about it.
This is a really thought provoking post. Completely agree with Lawrence, all about “personal branding”. Great body, but perhaps a cry for attention?
ALL of the above? Thanks Hannah. 🙂
What I’m wondering after reading these comments is…WHY is she thought of by others as demeaning herself? Why is showing one’s body off as Rihanna is in that dress considered an act of self-disrespect? Why is there an outpouring of “Shame on you” and “Cover yourself, tramp” in response to a woman being scantily clad? Why is any woman deemed unworthy of respect and treatment as a full human being by others just for showing her body? Why should anyone DEMAND respect by acting or looking a certain way when in reality NOBODY can MAKE anyone respect them? And especially when the markers for giving respect seem to change by the day and by the individual? What happens to our agency, our ability to define ourselves?
Well, the simplest answer is that people come from different awareness and perspectives and I learnt to just chill with the reality of that. I get your angle, but I also get the ‘cover yourself tramp’ angle and the artistic angle.
Your perspective is an amalgamation of all your influence and experiences until now and so is there’s. That is the simple answer really.
That also applies to whether people choose to define themselves or allow others to do it for them. Their experience up until now determines their decisions.There really is no right or wrong in some cases, just each person’s version of the truth.
I agree with that to some extent…but I feel this is also a symptom of a larger societal issue when it comes to women and how they choose to express themselves. There is still great controversy, and shame, involved in women refusing to let others define them. And I just don’t get why it has to continue on in being that way. If I had my way, a nude body would be just that–a nude body. Not a political statement, not a publicity stunt, not even necessarily an expression of sex/sexuality–just a nude body. Our bodies are beautiful and natural and there should be no shame in displaying them however we wish–whether that’s to cover them from head to toe, or not cover them at all.
Earlier this month, I was ‘slut’-shamed by a total stranger who I had tried to help after the contents of her purse spilled out onto the sidewalk. She saw me in my shorts and backless crop top, called me a whore and told me to put some clothes on. This was in front of her little daughter, probably no more than 6 or 7 years old. I let her comment roll off my back and didn’t say anything, but I wondered what that little girl was being taught, or will be taught, with regard to self-love and self-expression, and what kind of person she’ll end up becoming as a result of her mother’s influence.
I went home that day, and the next morning I didn’t dress any more modestly than I had done the day before, despite that incident. I will be damned before I let anyone else define me, and I think Rihanna would agree with me on that.
Out of interest do you think there should be no moral or societal restriction on nudity as in, “there should be no shame in displaying them however we wish?”
And does this include men?
Yes, I think there should be no moral or societal restriction on nudity, and this does include men. I do also believe that there is a much bigger problem with the sexualization of women’s nudity compared to men’s. Sure, men’s nudity is reduced to a joke much of the time…but I daresay that’s a sight better than all that goes on surrounding women when they shed their clothes. I’d prefer it to just not be a ‘big fucking deal’ when anyone gets naked outside the privacy of their own home, when we see nudity on TV/in movies/in ads/at awards shows, whatever.
Heard and noted. Thank you Angela. 🙂
I hated it for the public function. A tiny bit of lace in the right areas may have made a difference. I think as a photoshoot this would have been fine, even a music video. There is a time and place for everything.
MBB! How nice to hear from you. Hope all is well?
Yes, I have a companion that is leveling out my soul. Thanks for asking
Excellent stuff!
She has an amazing body….but to me the dress looked silly….it made me think of someone trying too hard. And the photo of her walking up the stairs with the view of her bum reminded me of the original parent trap. It is a comical photo.
But who isn’t trying to get noticed? From the mom who posts everything she does every second on Facebook to the singer showing her bottom and boobs. We seem to be missing something? Looking for something? I don’t know…..just random thoughts.
And very interesting random thoughts indeed. You raise an interesting point. Whilst people point at her for fighting to get noticed in HER VERY competitive world – and let’s face it sexuality is still a no brainer for a woman, they post all day on social networks and blogs, desperate for attention and recognition for what THEY have to offer – albeit with their clothes on. Int…er…es..ting HL!
So is your reaction that it’s all just comical. Humans are.
Meanwhile at the same event, in the starkest of contrasts from color to fit to style to the sheer yardage differences, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you- the Olsens. Both girls as lovely as Rihanna in an altogether different fashion.
http://www.becauseiamfabulous.com/2014/06/mary-kate-ashley-olsen-wearing-the-row-2014-cfda-fashion-awards/
While Rihanna flaunts a daring elegance, Mary Kate and Ashley share a sophisticated grace. This was afterall, a fashion ceremony. All the questions posed should really be asked of the designer responsible for Rihanna’s look- Adam Selman. In his own words, “The dress is just fishnet and crystals and a couple of fingers crossed. But fashion is about beauty, and the [female] body is part of that.” (http://www.style.com/stylefile/2014/06/exclusive-rihanna-mel-ottenberg-adam-selman-cfda/)
I adore this statement. He’s right. Fashion has been pushing buttons and ringing bells for hundreds of years. It’s a playful innuendo of the creative mind and the female form. This was the perfect setting for such a risk. The tailoring is divine! Comments buzzing around the web calling it cheap and as one such poster stated, “a stripper could do the same thing” with nettting found at a craft store. Pfft! This is ingenious design and innovation all with one goal in mind…to honor the beautiful feminine form that God has given us.
To this almost 40 year old female who has always loved fashion, it’s exciting when designers show us some moxy. Who better to pull it off than a young woman with the body of a goddess?! The body should be celebrated, honored, adored. Whether it be my plus size body with bodacious curves, delicate fairy princesses of fashion like the Olsens or Rihanna’s resplendent Venus de Milo-esque frame, the female form is beautiful. There are rare moments when it’s display is artful and lovely. The CFDA Fashion Awards presented one such glorious moment.
I’m sorry, I must sound fickle but I’m inclined to agree with you. I get the modesty arguments and I agree with them to some extent, I don’t like distastefulness from any quarter…but I am a creative head too and I looooove what you have said.
I loooove what the designer said. I love the word and spirit of ‘moxy.’
I thought Blake Lively was in equal measure modestly, elegantly and beautifully attired that night – I think she won it for me – but that does not take away from the poetry of your description of that ‘glorious moment.’ I feel ready to sign up to your political party (I’m a sucker for fabulous prose or a well presented argument) – but I’ll remain bi-curious for now with my feet unapologetically in both camps. 🙂 .
Thank you for your input LWASO.
Lots of intelligent comments on here, so let me break that trend.
If I may summarize,a current music diva shows her tush through a gown made of crystals…so the consensus seems to be that the music industry has “hit rock bottom”?
Get out!…No! Just…take your coat…and get out! 😛
Lol – I guess I’m just not cut out to be a “diamond in the rough”…and if I take my coat my ass won’t show!
Security! Show this man and his puns to the door. – Like now!
I’ll see myself out…thanks for being a gracious host.
He he! Don’t forget your doggy bag! (Oh goodness me is there a pun there? – Brain races trying to pre-check – no…I think we’re safe!)
Well, she would be just as naked at the beach. However, she wasn’t at the beach. I would like her to be truly radical and attend the next awards ceremony in an equally inappropriate outfit… a hospital gown, open in the back. Why not?
As for naked men, please, no…
I know right? Apart from full nudity (which believe me I’ve seen on the red carpet – it’s just that the girl doing it wasn’t famous) – where now?
I’m feeling the hospital gown idea! 🙂
It’s just entertainment and clearly we are all entertained. I think it’s great when women are proud of their bodies. Too many women are self-conscious and overly critical of their own shape, and I think that’s a much bigger and more serious issue.
Gail, look at you all lighthearted and easy going! Yes we touched on that issue of women and being comfortable with their bodies somewhere in the comments. Part of the interesting swirl of views Ms Rhianna’s bottom has provoked!
Great questions! Why have so many women fought so hard to not be demeaned by society, if we are so easily willing to demean ourselves to climb higher in this world? Are we selling our talents with this shock value or just plain selling out? I love your blog!
Oh now hey GG! I haven’t seen you for a while! These are some great questions yourself!
For the first question, some message, or a series of messages was set in stone a very long time ago that has set women agin each other ever since. Whether it’s that there is a man shortage, or that women are inferior, or any of the other million or so negative messages sent to women on a daily basis.
This has ensured that divide and conquer has remained a polarizing force with women for centuries. I can’t see (in my lifetime) women ever being on the same side as a whole forceful unit.
So whilst some women believe they are fighting for women as a whole there will ALWAYS be some who will directly oppose them or those who will think only of themselves. Not saying men don’t do this, but there is a reason that there is a rather charming saying ‘bros before ho’s’ for men and nothing similar for women, (that I know of).
hmmm…maybe we should think of the female saying equivalent to the “bros before” saying…can’t think of one though. Wouldn’t it be great if we all focused on loving each other more? I’m such an idealist, I know, but still…
Loving each other more???!!!! Oh how quaint! 🙂
Sisters before blisters?…Nah that’s to do with shoes!
Girls before swirls?…Nah…that’s chocolate (at least in the UK!)
Ladies before Hades?…Nah that’s the the devil. I’m struggling here. Perhaps that’s been the men’s secret all along!!! Better rhyming words! 😯
love it!
Sisters before misters?
YES! NOW we’re cooking! 😀
I think we need some options to match the forcefulness of the men’s version too, as ‘misters’ = nice ; ‘ho’s’ = not nice. I may put it to a vote! LOL! 🙂
I agree!
Very interesting topic of conversation here I have enjoyed reading. I find it interesting a man would never show up at a media event with his arse out unless it was a prank. Are these woman making a joke of themselves? I am certainly not impressed. Reminds me of a book I read years ago Female chauvinist pigs
Interesting question…yes and no I would say! Women’s sexuality is never seen the same as a man’s. A male stripper is a lighthearted joke – a woman stripper? You only have to view the men in the audience’s faces to see how seriously that is taken!
That is ONE area where women COULD exert their power, but choose to give it away often times.
Thanks Raylene!
Wow, okay, where to start. I’d like to think we all have the right to wear what we want when we want, but it’s a deeper matter here. What about personal dignity and personal decency? What about a responsibility to the people around us? To our children? I get it, they’re celebrities, they need to do stupid controversial S**T to stay in the news and in the spot light. But what are they teaching the younger generation about self-respect? Honestly, we are worth more as human beings than the paparazzi would like us to believe. This isn’t even about sexually objectifying women. She is more than just a political statement. She is more than just a media stunt. She is more than just shock value. Just as she is more than a sexual object. But if she dresses this way no one will see her as a human being, only as a sexual object, or political statement, or media stunt. Are we dehumanizing celebrities and ourselves?
And on another note – HOW IS THIS APPROPRIATE WHILE I CAN’T EVEN SIT IN A RESTAURANT AND BREAST FEED WITHOUT SOMEONE HOLLERING AT ME TO COVER MYSELF?
Okay, okay stop shouting – my poor ears! 🙂
No I hear you Casey. The weirdness surrounding women and their breasts and what they do with them fascinates me also. The various social networks banning breastfeeding pics whilst keeping up salacious ones shows that I’m not the only still asking questions about how one handles this issue of a woman’s sexuality – encapsulated here by the ‘Rhianna’s Bottom’ conversation. Thanks for your input I hope you will be around if we talk about the breastfeeding issue. 🙂
If the breast feeding issue comes up I’ll be sure to check it out. And I promise, no more shouting!
🙂
First off…thank you for the follow at gullycreekcottage.com! Am returning the favor and I look forward to staying connected on your happenings here! Thank you chica!!! Belle
Hi Belle!
So, glad you posted this. I recently saw a journalist write an article on how brave and empowering Rihanna’s dress was, which I thought was utter rubbish!
I personally think Rihanna’s dress is completely inappropriate. Firstly, I agree with those who argue she’s setting a v. bad example for younger girls. Wearing little to no clothes isn’t female empowerment in my view, its self-objectification and encourages the opposite sex to think you are no more than your body. Women can’t dress like whores and then object to being treated like one. Sorry, to put it so bluntly but it’s the unfortunate truth.
Well put Jess and blunt is fine. Thank you.
Although I don’t agree, isn’t Rihanna’s choice to dress as she did a modernist view of feminism, particularly reclaiming owner of the female body? Honestly, what’s the difference between her dress at the awards and a bikini at the beach? Time and place, perhaps. I know legally a female is allowed to expose her breast wherever a male is allowed to go topless, which makes for a very interesting summer. I doubt if anyone would agree, but females have more exciting body parts, coupled with the ancient stigma that women are temptresses and instigators. Even if a woman walked outside stark naked her genitalia is pretty much conceals, unless she spreads eagle, breast and arse aside of course. The only feature of a man that I find most people consider sexual and a tell all is the exposure of his penis, everything else is tolerable, usually. I mean, a great physique can be admired from a distance or one may want to touch to see if this human sculptor is authentic, but it’s not offensive in a public venue. Another thing, I doubt if men as a whole will make it socially acceptable to reveal their schlong, as a whole, because it’s too revealing, they will lose their vantage point in a society where it’s claimed that size really does matter. Oh yeah, Janet Jackson had a nipple slip out everyone went crazy. In this society cleavage is good, real good. It’s a dream to have someone’s breast miraculously revealed. Despite all these years of fighting for gender equality and feminist theory etc sex sales, it’s all around us, the idea of trying to attain the unattainable although access to it is flaunted like fiction forcing most people to suspend their disbelief and believe anything is possible. In other words I have the foggiest idea what the future holds, but it’s becoming more transparent like the sheer attire “hiding” a “spike” in record sales and her personal brand.
Thanks Aj for that…um graphic answer! Yes what a fuss was made of the nip slip. It would barely register in Europe. Thank you for your input on this conversation. Much appreciated. 🙂
My apologies for the graphic response. I hope I wasn’t offensive or lewd.
Nope. Wasn’t offensive or lewd. It was graphic. I think we can all handle it here. No it was a pleasure to hear from you.
Honestly, not so surprised at all. If anyone could do this and be this confident about it, it would be her. That being said, I do not think it takes nudity to make a statement– fashion or not. Yes, it’s bold. The dress is beautiful and so is she. But is this really even about fashion? Or is it Rihanna’s usual habit of going against the norm. Or more, is it a distinct way of expression? Who knows? What I do know is that many will view this as “knocking down” barriers for women’s clothing.
Perhaps, now that women are so judged about what they publicly wear, we don’t know how to approach this without offending anyone. However, I am sure that down the line, many people will look back at this and think of Rihanna as someone who opened doors for women. Personally, I don’t look up to her nor do I think this was a great fashion statement. It was something more: an expression, an act of rebellion. Props to her for pulling it off ever so boldly. Honestly, I don’t think skin is the ideal way of advocating women’s rights/freedom of expression. But hey, if that’s her way of expressing herself….let it be…some will love it…some will be shaking their heads…
Thanks Sophie. A well put and balanced argument I think. It’s true we don’t know the reasons behind her choices, but they certainly have a ripple effect and it’s that effect that intrigues me.
Perhaps I’m the only person who thinks like this, but the nudity didn’t bother me overly much. Western society has progressed to a point where nudity is almost cliche in terms of shock value. I would imagine that some more conservative ladies and gentlemen clutched their pearls or popped the monocles out of their eyes in shock but I’d imagine the majority of the younger generations shrugged their shoulders and carried on with life.
However, I felt absolutely floored by the fact that she was covered head to toe in DIAMONDS, an industry that’s practically drowning in blood and death. Maybe I’m just a liberal nag, but I feel like people are asking all the wrong questions about this dress. We’re so caught up over a bit of skin instead of looking into the story behind it.
The diamond mines where most corporations originally gain their diamonds host child slaves, minimal human rights at best, and countless abuses. Rhianna did her publicity, yes, and probably too well. If there’s a surge in demand for diamonds and,God forbid, diamond dresses like hers I shudder to think about the people who will have to suffer in order for those diamonds to become the latest and best fashion statement on red carpets.
Yes you are right. All the attention has been on the the nudity aspect and yes the younger generation will probably shrug and say ‘so what?’ (After all, all younger generations invented sex didn’t they? 😉 ) But there are other people in the world besides the young generation and there are even young people who would find Rhianna’s attire objectionable, or may have an interesting take on what it signifies, if anything. Shall we just ignore them?
I am writing on an Apple computer – should ALL my conversations be about how the people who make them are suffering and underpaid? I’m pretty sure that something either you or I have worn in the past week came from a country where people (including children) are ill-used and underpaid whilst making them, does that mean we can’t have a conversation about the weather or music?
FYI I did not know that the dress was made from diamonds, but I don’t think that having one conversation topic negates another, or one conversation should be bulldozed by another that is deemed more profound.
I never said anything about ignoring anybody. I made a comment on an article I found interesting. I wasn’t aware that the author of said article was going to take personal offense if the comments did not follow in line with some unspoken rule of code for what was and what wasn’t deemed an appropriate comment. Forgive me, I didn’t realize that was the objective. My apologies.
Also, if you’re going to bother to write about a piece of fashion currently popular, perhaps it would be best to actually do some research beforehand? Just a thought.
Good day!
My dear Lady jrgordonjet1 I was not in the slightest bit offended by your comment and if you were standing in front of me and seeing my cheery expression you would see that. Sometimes the tone of someone’s words are not conveyed well in writing. Although one would think that the smiley face may have been a clue.
Nope I was simply replying to your comment in the hope that you (if you wished) would comment back and form what is commonly known as a conversation, (yes that was indeed sarcasm – but still with a twinkle in the eye). I certainly didn’t expect you to fly off the handle and give me a right old bollocking for seemingly not agreeing with you.
Don’t you mean that if I don’t agree with YOU, Houston we have a problem?
The other thing is I DO agree with you, but that is not what we are discussing here. I don’t mind you bringing it up at all, but I’m bound to point out that it isn’t the topic here. If you think people are asking all the wrong questions, host that topic on YOUR blog – is all right if I ask MY questions on MY blog?
Now, I want you to look at my categories – do you see fashion?
My blog is clearly not about fashion. The topic is not about fashion. It is about one woman’s choice of dress and the socio-political ripple effects of her wearing it. I’m a busy person I tend not research topics that don’t interest me. If YOU had looked at my blog and done YOUR research you would know that.
Now do we kiss and make up or will you be an ass about absolutely nothing and stomp off saying ‘Good day!’ which I have to admit made me guffaw like a donkey.
The dress is NOT made of diamonds; it is made of Swarovski crystals.
Oh no! That’s TWO in my Lady jrgordonjet1’s face! Looool! 😀
That’s what I had assumed to be honest. I was surprised to be told that they were diamonds.
I wish she would come back. She gave me a huge chuckle yesterday and I think I love her!
Thanks Angela! 🙂
LOL! You’re welcome! 🙂
Ah, one of those moments when it would be so much easier to be a man. When the only decision on dressing to go out is ‘tux or suit?’
Ah yes, but who notices the men?
It’s true – humans are apparently the only species with sexual dimorphism, where the female is more decorated than the male.
If you got it. Flaunt it. Rihanna is comfortable with herself and not ashamed to push the envelope when it comes to fashion and music. She’s fabulous and can pull off any look. Nothing new under the sun. I’ve seen photos of Cher covered in sheer and rhinestones.
Yeah and she was vilified by some too. So many opposing views! Love it! Thanks KelsieLou! 🙂
flipping heck rihanna love, put it away
Ah, understated, no BS Britishness! 🙂
absolutely! 🙂
Hi, hope you don’t mind but I was kind of inspired by your post into writing one of my own along similar lines, am still a bit new to blogging so not sure of the exact etiquette in this situation, but have put a link to your original post at the start of mine, hope that is ok!
No that’s fine Newbie! Feel free to ask me about online or blogging etiquette any time. I shall pop over later with a cup of tea…no, OJ I think…and some biscuits to have a read. 🙂
Fashion can be so fickle. Quite a few other starlets have been crucified for a lack of clothing on the red carpet (Rose McGowan, Lil Kim), yet somehow Rihanna’s dress was applauded as a masterpiece that challenged the norms of what is considered “sexy” in mainstream society (ie the notion that women can be sexy within boundaries, and beyond that they become uncomfortable and god forbid, vulgar).
Personally, I agree that there is a preconceived notion in society that women should only be sexy to a certain level and I liked that Rihanna’s team challenged this status quo.
Very interesting. Yes who set those boundaries? Society, men, the church?
Is it sexy at this point or just overtly sexual? So many questions! Thanks NFE!
Good point. WHO sets those boundaries and the perception that women need to be a certain degree of “sexy” to be desirable, but then shrink away when things get too heated.. or too sparkly in Rihanna’s case. Some good food for thought.
http://www.nofiltermag.com
Nothing like pandering to sex traffickers and perpetuating the attitude that women are sex objects.
Good grief. When will we learn that ideas have consequences?
Bad idea.
Okay I hear you Lady with the blue eyes! But if dressing more subdued could remove the scourge of sex traffickers and stop the perpetuation of women as sex objects, why do nuns get raped? Why are women in strict dress code countries still raped? When the west was more ‘genteel’ why were women still raped?
Not that I disagree that people’s behaviour has consequences, I’m just not sure it’s that simple.
Oh, not that simple at all. But why, as a woman, would you add to the problem? There’s no way to argue that an outfit like that does anything but fuel the fire in the wrong direction. Ultimately it’s a heart problem among society. But if you know there’s an epidemic of, say, West Nile virus in your area, does it make sense to sit around outside near stagnant water?
I hear you Lady with the blue eyes. I’ll ponder your answer a bit.
Need for attention is growing bigger with age. And then woman became invisible. I would rather wait and see what she will do in ten year:)
Oh how true!
🙂
Late response here but I love the questions you posed and wanted to jump in! To start off, we can all agree that Rihanna did in fact look stunning that night. Like goddess-level stunning. BUT, we can all also agree that the strikingly absurd amount of nudity that was revealed was not appropriate for that occasion. Any occasion really. So let me answer your first question: “What does this mean in terms of a woman’s right to wear what she wants whether that is a burka or this dress?” This particular question appealed to me because I actually have a close friend who wears a burka. What this means for women holistically is that obviously–as seen by Rihanna’s attire–we can wear anything we want whether that be something that covers our entire body OR something that reveals a lot of it. The former frustrates men and they are forced to engage in a mental connection and thus try to see us as equals. The latter, sadly, diminishes forms of mental/intellectual connection between the man and the woman because all they are seeing is a shiny tool that they want to use so bad. To throw in another point, this sends all men and women the wrong message in terms of how a lady should be seen in public. Women who wear burkas, as my friend, are looked down upon and shamed by some in America. In terms of gender–since that is our topic here–a women’s right to wear a burka is thought of to be strange and again, men are then forced to engage in a connection of the mind and not think about any kind of sex appeal. On the other hand, a women’s right to dress like Rihanna is something SOME men love and much prefer vis-a-vis a women covering everything that would be gawked at by the opposite sex. Finally, what it all comes down to is that women simply have the right to dress in this manner, in that manner, in any kind of manner! The only downsides to that are: 1) men objectifying you 2) people looking down upon you–both young and old 3) lack of respect from some 3) causing others to feel discomfort 4) statistically, more likely to be raped in this society.
Thanks Rahelw for your well thought out comment. My take is:
“The former frustrates men and they are forced to engage in a mental connection and thus try to see us as equals.” – How can they see someone who is covered up and not living to the same societal rules as they are as equals? Or if they were equals why are they covered up?
I would have agreed with no.4 before the tally of modestly dressed Asian and African rape victims started to pile up.
And no.1 do men really stop objectifying women because of their clothing?
I do agree with this bit:
“The latter, sadly, diminishes forms of mental/intellectual connection between the man and the woman because all they are seeing is a shiny tool that they want to use” – it would be hard for a WOMAN to have a conversation with someone dressed like!
Thanks for the response. To answer your first question, I think of it in a holistic/humanity kind of view when I say that they are then put in a situation where they have to try to see someone like that as an equal. They would need to see someone who is “covered up and not living to the same societal rules as they are as equals” simply on the basis that that person is a human being. Just like them. As said many times by many people in this world, treating someone as an equal is based on their inner qualities as opposed to their outer ones. Regardless of them being covered up, they are still equals and should be seen as such because there is no scale that determines who is equal and who is not. You’re born with it.
Thanks for that last bit. You’re right! Depending on what a woman wears isn’t necessarily going to banish the objectification receive. But I will add that it at least MAY diminish it in some cases.
I hear you!
I hate those award shows. No talent somatic psychopaths looking for attention. I couldn’t name one of her songs but I bet the word booty is used In a few of them…. The common denominator is just that…. Common.. No thanks:)
Thanks yeseven. Were you sent an email from the team?
I haven’t checked my email.. I will check:)
First off, it would be a fantastic dress if it were actually a dress. I might be bitter and twisted and have little faith in celebrities doing anything without ulterior motives, but I see this as publicity. Yes, Rihanna pushes the boundaries that have moved about half the globe away from where they were when Madonna pushed them, but she also loves publicity. She’s probably sold thousands of more records because of this dress.
As for this harming or helping any kind of movements, that is not for me to comment on. All I saw here was someone trying to shock in her usual way. I salute her confidence, as I would never attempt such a brazen move, but I’m not going to get worked up about it in any way.
Isn’t it a funny old world where a nude dress could equal more music sales? When you think of the mechanics of it ‘Oh she is wearing such a daring dress – where’s my purse I must buy her music!’
Video killed the radio star!
And gaming’s gonna kill the video star. You write a song about that! 🙂
Nah, I’ll let Jann Arden do that? Ever hear of her? She’s a remarkable singer/ songwriter but never really a video star.
As one of those old folks online, my youth was in 70’s and the music was amazing. Talent everywhere, and looks really didn’t matter…it was so much more about the music. I’m not knocking the music of today as I really don’t follow it that closely, but most definitely video and a lot of related technology has had an impact on popular music. This media-related impact certainly has a powerful impact on an entire culture, at least the youth.
To put this in chilling perspective, as McLuhan pointed out, Kennedy would never have been elected president if not for television. The more chilling note of his was that Hitler got elected on the strength of the radio…if Hitler had to rely on television he never would have gotten elected.
Sorry to get off track on the fashion issue, though by memory I believe there was a major advertising/ design firm involved in the design of the swastika.
I dunno about Hitler…he was mesmerising visually too. No, never heard of Jann Arden.
Jann is an amazing Canadian singer/ songwriter. She is adorable in so many ways…a true hero in her own way. I mention her because she is kind of the antithesis to the likes of Rhianna. Not to knock the latter, but I find Jann way more fascinating, the person and the music….could care less how she looks in gown of any kind.
I sure hope you don’t mind the video links, but it is the internet, so here is one of many great interviews of Jann…you can easily find her music for yourself…hope you like it. 🙂
Yeah she sounds cool.
It’s a funny old world in many ways. I currently live in Dubai, and Lady Gaga is coming here to perform in September. She has been told by the authorities here to tone down her show … I wonder …
Oh now that should be fun! I expect she will. 🙂
Her concerts were cancelled in Indonesia because of protests about her being, for lack of a better word, a heathen. Doubt that will happen here though.
You could spank her bottom. Maybe, she likes it 😉
Rajiv! My delicate sensibilities are shocked! :O 😉
The industry does play a slight role in her open plea for attention. As stunning as her body is and as gorgeous as her features are I can’t seem to understand why. Until it hits me that she really hasn’t made any great music lately. She has great songs, yes, but most artists need to keep steady in the spotlight to survive; and in Rihanna’s case, this is it.
You know, it could be THAT simple TD.
Is indecent exposure not illegal anymore?
Apparently not. It’s to die for daaaaaling!
When I saw that she was practically naked and walking around I was seriously so disgusted. If I was a mom I would not want my kids to be seeing this “idol” walking around like that. Kids see things like this and think its okay to be showing their entire body off like that. Don’t get me wrong, I am a woman and I love my body. I am not ashamed at all of a woman’s body, but I don’t understand why the whole world has to see it? Idk just my thoughts.
And thank you for those thoughts Jenn. It’s so interesting the different takes on it.
She needs to get over herself
Brisk and to the point! 🙂
This has great significance to me as a fellow black woman. I admire Rihanna and other black female celebrities who are so brazen…yet sensitive…fierce…yet vulnerable…intelligent…yet sexy as fuck. I feel like she and others are changing the rules of the game, showing that as a woman (and more specifically, a black woman, who is generally considered the lowest on the societal totem pole), you can embody all these traits and more–you don’t, and shouldn’t, have to cherry-pick. They are showing that black women are not a monolith; we don’t fit your racist tropes; we are individuals and we are forces to be reckoned with.
Fabulous! Another angle! thanks for that Angela. Yes I would have to agree black women have been rather sexless on the whole for some time. Not even Naomi Campbell could get on certain magazine covers that are welcoming Rhianna.
It feels like a step forward AND backwards in a way!
I disagree with black women being ‘sexless’; in fact history and the present day point to us constantly being fetishized and sexualized, yet still inferior to the ‘pure’ beauty of ‘lily-white’ women. We were considered sexy, but in a dark, dirty, secret way–a way that no one wanted to openly admit to. There was (and in many ways still is) shame in loving black women, finding them beautiful and desirable. This is partly why I harbor such admiration for Rihanna and others–they basically say, “Yes I am black, yes I am beautiful, yes I am here and I am going to show myself and if you don’t like it, too bad because I am not going any-damn-where.”
Also, it most certainly shouldn’t be the responsibility of women to control the thoughts and urges of men, or other women. I think it’s right, and utterly necessary, that these bullshit ‘asking for it’ norms are being challenged, that people are being forced to consider what’s wrong with their mindset when they think that a woman receiving disrespect, judgment–even violence–is at fault for looking a certain way.
No you are perfectly right. I didn’t carry my point far enough. Of course black women were seen as forbidden fruit and very much desired sexually but in a seedy underground way.
By ‘sexless’ I was referring to depictions of naked African women in films like ‘Zulu’ and magazines like National Geographic where having a black woman with her breasts out was treated as the equivalent of seeing a female bear breastfeeding her pups. A white woman would never have been depicted this way on a magazine allowed in schools or in a film still liberally shown in the daytime.
Oh yes, that too. Good point! Seems like we are seen as less than fully human, either way.
Basically. Which is why I love your angle on this argument and agree with it.
We’ll never know. I’ve wondered some of these same questions.
To me wearing something like this is telling the public the only thing you feel is important is your private bits. Rhianna displaying her downstairs (not just nudity, but nudity with intent) makes me think she believes her sexuality is the only thing worth displaying. If I saw her walking down the street in that all I would see is her bottom.
Princeton recently published a study that found hetrosexual males who saw unknown women wearing little or no clothing reacted mentally to said women as if they were tools. The part of the brain that is used to identify other human beings wasn’t even active. To many of the men that saw her that night Rhianna was nothing but an implement; in the same category as a screw driver or a bedroom toy.
What about her as a person? What about her as a woman? If she (like every sane woman) wants to be treated like more than a sexual object she should treat herself as more first. Her attractiveness is a tool, not Rhianna herself. And she as person might be worth getting to know, but one might never get the chance if all she shows people are her genitles. This dress would have been just as stunning (but less damaging) if it wasn’t sheer.
Oh thank you Heather, humongously interesting! It’s almost as if after the Princeton study they all said ‘Like – duh? We really needed to study this?’ I can’t imagine that any woman dressing like this on a regular basis is doing so to attract intellectual debate / relationships / respect from men.
It’s interesting also how you separated her attractiveness from her, which the studies found that the men don’t /can’t do.
Thanks Heather. More sides of the coin, more to ponder. Love it!
Oh, I don’t think any woman would wear this kind of outfit all the time; Rhianna, however, was wearing it as a famous person in public. She’s a role model, especially to those young ladies of her ethnic group. She’s now always going to be ‘that girl who wore a see through dress’, which may or may not have been what she wanted.
Also, she was receiving a fashion award in an outfit I was so busy trying to find a respectful place to look at besides her face I couldn’t really tell you the details of the dress! It goes beyond daring and right into cover your eyes. That’s poor fashion there; fashion is supposed to tell something about the person wearing it, and all the dress said to me was she’s a behind^^
Okay, let’s take this further if you’re still around and about. IS she a role model? She will tell you she is an entertainer. The position of role model was / is bestowed upon her by other people, she didn’t get into music to be a role model.
To a response that children are going to copy her either way therefore she is a role model, she will suggest that parents try stepping up and doing their job (as she has done).
What say you?
“She’s now always going to be ‘that girl who wore a see through dress’,” – I’m not sure even I would care about that one.
“fashion is supposed to tell something about the person wearing it,” – says who?
What does this mean in terms of a woman’s right to wear what she wants whether that is a burka or this dress?
She has the right to wear what she wants in whatever social context she wants. I also have the right to be uncomfortable with this amount of flesh being on display, and to not know where to look. If that makes me a prude or something worse… well, then I don’t know what to say about that. I just know that I wouldn’t be able to have a coherent conversation with her while she’s dressed like this. That’s my honest answer.
Is the next step just straight up nudity at celebrity events?
It’s hard to say. I would hope not because then the whole thing would begin to feel like a bit of a narcissistic exercise to me. At least with this you could entertain the very real possibility that Rihanna’s making a valid political statement here (being that women should have the freedom to do whatever they please with their bodies, and thus themselves as human beings). However, if all of celebdom were doing it then it would feel to me like a bunch of egocentrics and attention seekers not wanting to be outdone. I’m not saying I’d be correct in this assumption, but that that’s how I would feel about this kind of spectacle writ large.
She was receiving a fashion award. Is this really the emperors new clothes or indeed the empress un-clothed?
It could be seen as a form of social hypocrisy on her part (not all women would be comfortable being seen like this, and nor should they feel they have to in order to exercise their own voice). It could even be seen as the pretentious act of an entitled individual that should not be encouraged or validated by the amount of media attention it’s getting. At the end of the day only she truly knows her reasons for turning up attired as she is. It does, however, remind me of something that Naomi Wood once observed about the original tale that the “emperor’s new clothes” phrase is based on (I had to Google this so that I could relay it word for word): “Perhaps the truth of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ is not that the child’s truth is mercifully free of adult corruption, but that it recognizes the terrifying possibility that whatever words we may use to clothe our fears, the fabric cannot protect us from them.” I can’t help but think this as I look at Rihanna’s pictures. Is this the act of a strong, confident woman, or is she hiding some deep seated, personal insecurity? Only she knows.
What if a man turned up with his arse out and schlong barely hidden behind mesh netting, would that be okay too?
Would it be wrong if I admitted that I’d much prefer to see a woman turn up virtually naked? I don’t get the appeal of schlongs and man butts, but then I’m a hetero male who’s part of the patriarchal conspiracy anyway, and such my views cannot be trusted. Seriously though, I would think that a man would have less cause to do something like this because males are objectified in a fundamentally different way to women. Perhaps a more powerful political statement would be for the man to not turn up at all? I don’t know. I haven’t thought that one through.
Would you know where to look if she offered you an olive at the after party?
Absolutely not. I would just have to keep looking her in the eye (which is something I always do anyway, regardless of gender). And maybe that’s her point? By dressing in such a socially provocative manner, she’s daring men to objectify her, thus forcing them to realise something about themselves and the way women are generally treated as tokens and trophies. By having to channel their focus to her eyes, they’re being forced to engage with her as a human being and not an object. Am I overthinking this?
Is this a sign of society becoming more chilled, artistic, blind, stupid, or going to hell in a hand basket?
To be honest with you, it’s above my pay grade to make that kind of call. I do suspect that a lot of the mores that prop up western culture are fundamentally stupid anyway, and that they manifest themselves pretty spectacularly in social media and media in general. As to whether it means “progress” is something that will forever be hotly debated. We love to argue about things.
What if Rhianna was 22 stone with less of a pert posterior…would the fashionistas still be clapping?
I think the response would be just as mixed as it is now. There would be just as many applauding this as there are those criticising it. As they say, there are as many opinions as there are arseholes out there, and all of them different. To some, big is beautiful. To others, skinny is sublime. And then there are those that are more middle of the road and all the gaps in between.
How on earth will Miley Cyrus top this one?!!
God. No. Just. No.
Sir Anthony Of Single I hereby knight you as Comment King! Thank you. Really interesting points of view. Regarding the 22 stone issue – I immediately thought of Beth Ditto as I was writing the question and think you are right on that one. She would be equally applauded and attacked for dressing similarly.
Your point about preferring to see a woman with her bits out than a man – i would have thought that throughout the centuries we have become used to the fact that it is the woman who for the most part always gets her kit off. I would have thought that even for women it might be the more comfortable to accept – even for those who abhor it.
I love your olive question answer. Who knows if she is that deep…hmmm…
Thanks again Sir Single.
Love reading your comment. Very intriguing thoughts
Thank you for saying so!
(On another note, I’ve just realised that I misspelled Rhianna’s name in my comment. Gah.)
Who notices that when your comment was so eloquent!
Generally speaking, there are two constraints on people’s choice of attire, exposure-wise: law, and social opinion. If there is no locally applicable law forbidding near-nudity in public, then it’s a matter of what people will accept (assuming Ms Rihanna is seeking acceptance).
I reckon even if people don’t like it, a lot of them will accept it because they don’t want to look narrow-minded or uncool.
On the other hand, fashion is always a swinging pendulum, so sooner or later some avant-garde starlet will decide to shock everyone by wearing a full-coverage outfit, with sleeves and everything! Possibly as soon as the cold weather sets in 🙂
“(assuming Ms Rihanna is seeking acceptance).” Ha ha! – Doubt it!
With sleeves you say? Impossible! It’ll never happen! 😉
I’m somewhat dumbfounded. How she manages to maintain composure is a wonder. It’s the kind of thing I have nightmares about – turning up in public sans key apparel. Have naturists been doing some kind of kick ass lobbying for change that’s even more effective than big tobacco, big alcohol and the gun lobby combined? 😉 Sorry not particularly helpful.
I welcome ANY opinion humorous, deadly serious or otherwise! I just never stretch my time for stupid.
Ha! And so true, the naked thing in a crowd is a standard nightmare for a lot of people lol 🙂 – I hadn’t thought of that…and yet…as you say, her composure…
I think that’s actually illegal over here lol. Remove the transparency and that dress would have been perfection. And sorry to say but after seeing her breasts, “less is more” comes to mind.
It is a nice dress isn’t it? What’s interesting is how the transparency alters things and makes it something else either negative, political or whatever.
It does.
How can one comment on this without writing a complete article, or even a book?
Unfortunately her wardrobe decision is most likely more about personal branding than anything else. My only real concern with this is the impact on the younger members of her following. With two young-adult daughters, it was startling to see how children are exposed to “grown-up” information at a much younger age.
It’s a symptom of our information overload aspect of our culture, and this is only one more example…forgotten tomorrow.
As one who studies media in a different way, the need to grab media attention among all kinds of celebrities and others becomes more and more desperate and collectively self-defeating as the overload increases . . .next!
Beautifully stated. Thank you Lawrence.
Thank you. Like I said, it’s such a huge topic, much like opening that proverbial box, so I wasn’t sure I made my point clearly. If you are fascinated by these issues, the one book that really opened my eyes is Marshall McCluhan’s “Understanding Media” . . . just as relevant as Orwell’s 1984 . . . maybe more?
It is indeed a big topic, I did PR for a second so I get it, but in amongst it all is the perhaps simple intentions of the artist(?), and the melee and influence of management and hangers on, mixed with the crazy of the entertainment and fashion world. To me it felt more than a nude dress.
Thanks Lawrence! I am fascinated by these issues but unless that book comes with 4 extra hours to the day, I won’t have time to read it, which is a shame.
I know that feeling on the reading time. As for the dress, I think it’s gorgeous and really can’t condemn that statement in any way . . . given my art, that would make me a hypocrite! 🙂
Also, it has always fascinated me how brave any woman who dresses this way really is . . . very few men would be so “open”. Curiously that seems to go beyond our current culture?
This is why I don’t just see this as ‘what a whore!’…next. There are so many elements to explore including her easy attitude to public exposure, bearing in mind that some women are scared to wear a bathing suit – and they could be said to have equal or ‘better’ figures than her! There’s either a complete disconnect or a mental strength there no?
I think back to my porn post and ponder why I’m less affronted by this display than the women in those pictures – is this even the same issue?
Is this a moral issue or an art issue?
Your art is gorge by the way ‘Nirvanna’ being my current favourite. As for ‘Happy Campers’ what a fabulous trick of the eye. Didn’t even notice the other body until 5 minutes in.
LOL – I’m really enjoying this discussion, especially the part about being a moral issue OR an artistic one – makes me feel so bohemian!
Where does one draw the line between public and personal? I do think that a woman in Rhianna’s position may easily come to think that what’s exposed really doesn’t matter, in one sense.
Isn’t that kind of what happened to Marilyn Monroe? I read that she had an IQ of 130, all self-taught, but all reporters wanted to know was whether she slept naked. My favorite line of hers was one response to what she had on for bedtime. She said, “Did I have anything on? Of course I did . . . I had the radio on!”
I almost forgot to thank you for the art compliment. Perhaps in another forum I can point you out to some more visual tricks? Most of my pictures have them – some are pretty funny – message me if you like, and I’ll give you some clues. 🙂
“makes me feel so bohemian!” How very Great Gatsby of you!
Yes I am rather torn in that folks say women shouldn’t do this or that to exacerbate the whole sexist culture, but it suggests that if all women behaved themselves there would be no sexism or rapes etc. I could almost buy into someone saying ‘sexism, rape and inequality has been around for centuries and is going nowhere fast, I’m just getting mine while I can. Don’t heap that responsibility on me because I’m young, I’m not your role model and I didn’t create it.’
I didn’t mean to insinuate any gender responsibility…not at all…we’re all in this together. Nor did I intend to justify anything in the present because of “traditions” or past cultures. No go get ’em…whatever “’em” is!
No not you! I was being a complete narcissist and using your comment to express more of my opinion…or pondering. I think I took one word from your comment and I was off! No I know that isn’t you – I was speaking in general terms.
lol…and here I thought I was the last of the “Me generation”! In case you hadn’t noticed, while I know these are serious issues, it seems at times a person really needs a sense of humor simply to cope…maybe it’s an age thing? Then again, what do I know, I’m no expert…be happy!
Yeah…what? Oh sorry were you saying something? I was looking the mirror! 😉
“Looking the mirror”? Would that be “In”, “for”, or “behind”? Emphasis on the “behind”! ha ha
You got me! 😛
lol…well I’m just glad you weren’t looking for the birror…that should be kept in the fridge.
I’d like to add a video link here. I used it in a blog post very much related to your one here, but in the context of culture and media. It is in the context of whether we really know what we are doing anymore, as in issues of morality and such.
You won’t find answers in the video, but it is beautiful, almost haunting, and puts things in a bit of historical context with pictures and music.
Here’s the link: http://youtu.be/T7d2JYvJUec
Unless she is trying to make a point about the naked body being beautiful…I’d say inappropriate! We didn’t need to see that (although maybe some of us wanted to.)
Okay, thank you Marissa. Appreciate your input.
OK, so here’s the answer to question number 4… http://thehomestyledirectory.com/c/meet-conchita/
*sigh*
I have never seen Conchita with his bits out when dressed as a woman. Have you?
Most pre-op transgender men or men who dress as women take great lengths to tuck things away to mimic women, so not quite sure about your point here, but you get a gold star for lumping everyone you don’t understand into one group.