THE FEMINIST
BEFORE SHE GOT SMASHED IN THE FACE, pretty young thing Rihanna was routinely snapped by the paps in sleeveless or backless sheaths that showed off her smooth skin. She wore her femininity like a prize coveted by the men and media who like their prey young and sweet.
A different Rihanna emerged Monday night at the Met's Costume Institute Gala. Amid the denizens of beauty, Rihanna choose to wear an interpretation of a men's tux with poofy sleeves.
Gone for the moment was her innocence, the vulnerability. It was as if the penguin suit was a suit of armor, and the exaggerated shoulders gave the perception of more brawn.
The Chris Brown affair has cost Rihanna her innocence. But there's a byproduct: she is smarter now, no fool for men. She may never use the word, but she is on her way to becoming a "feminist."
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Comments
In the slinky little dress, her hair is flipped outward from her face.
In the tuxesque getup, her hair seems to be curved in toward her face.
In the left hand image, the outward splaying hair and the slight smile seem open and approachable to me. In the right hand image, the inward turning hair, the covered limbs, and the serious face make her look more like a bad Second Life avatar; unapproachable and plastic.
The short pants and the bared ankles offer an odd taste of display and nudity. Her ankles are presented and the tops of her feet, but her hands, wrists, and most of her neck are covered up. Maybe this signals that she has changed how she touches the world but is still vulnerable to how she walks through it.
See, this is why I hate fashion studies. I end up looking too deeply and getting myself all confused.
Excellent essay, thank you for sharing it.
How does wearing a penguin suit suddenly turn Rihanna into a feminist? Is dressing like a man somehow proof of feminist cred? Her legs look like sticks and she looks like she's ashamed of her body. On the left she seems strong (those legs and arms seem kind of buff to me) and proud--on the right she looks like she's hoping to disappear into the void of that tuxedo thing.