I love the way you lie...

I’m so excited to be getting into the sexism found in music! I’ve never really thought about it too much so it will be a great avenue to explore. Watching the ‘Love the Way You Lie’ video and hearing everyone’s thoughts on it opened a lot a doors I don’t think I would have thought of on my own. For instance the archetypes of Rhianna and Eminem presented in the video: Rhianna is hooded and dressed in black standing in front of a burning house, while Eminem is presented in a much light fashion; on a field surrounded by light and dressed in white—exalting him as the hero in this song about violence and destructive relationships.

It’s entirely possible this whole song is meant to be call of awareness more than a promotion of violence. Eminem who has spoken openly in his music about abusing loved ones and Rhianna who made numerous headlines with her relationship with Chris Brown and the violence involved in that (of which I hear they are back together again), it would seem like a great idea to promote a song that sheds light on the violent pattern of destructive relationships and the need to rid oneself from them. I do think Rhianna sings her part with a bit of sarcasm; with lines such as ‘like the way it hurts,’ and ‘love the way you lie,’ I think are meant to be a bit sardonic, although in the video that message gets lost. Because what we see is a young, passionate couple and the romanticized toxicity of their relationship and the unfortunate cycle that comes with it. I’d say it’s commonly known that relationships of abuse are notorious for their magnetism; the victim may know they need to get out of the relationship, the abuser may know they have a problem, but both parties tend to default back to each other and their destructive ways. It’s unfortunate messages like this are being set for young generations. More and more I feel like women are taught to not respect themselves and to endure the abuses of the men who ‘love’ them. While men are not taught what it means to respect women and deal with feelings lest it make them at all un-manly.