For years, I’ve resisted joining the Cult of Rihanna. It wasn’t hate – I just didn’t find her to be all that compelling. I mean, I understand that she has really cool haircuts. I get that she loves fashion – studs, spikes, and heavy metals. I know that her style is more innovative than a lot of other celebrities that she is compared to but I also understand that she has a whole team of people working hard to maintain that image (like all celebs). For whatever reasons, Rihanna never clicked with me.

Which is why I find it so startling that a mediocre song (Jay-Z’s “Run This Town feat. Rihanna and Kanye West) could make me reconsider her appeal as a stylish figure. The video is pretty silly when you really think about it; the lyrics certainly don’t match the apocalyptic/”revolutionary” setting – but her hair does! Suddenly the spikes and chains, the leather trappings, and dark make-up seem to have artistic purpose and my interest is piqued. Lord knows I’m a sucker for creative imaginings of the apocalypse (ie – Miharayasuhiro, Demeulemeester, and of course Rick Owens).

This video gets some bonus points for featuring brown folks (surviving) in the apocalypse and Kanye’s dramatic overacting towards the end.
photo source: buzznet.com