Rihanna recently released yet another controversial video for "We Found Love," the first single from her forthcoming Def Jam album Talk That Talk. The Grammy-winning singer seems to love pissing off parents and anti-violence organizations with her musical visuals. But she's surely not the first pop diva to exude sex or send the "wrong message" in her videos.
We all remember Katy Perry's "Calfornia Gurls" video, when Katy is nude on top of a pink cloud, clad in a bra with whipped cream-squirting cans attached. And did censors overlook Kelly Rowland's latest video with Big Sean, "Lay It On Me," where a scantily clad Rowland is surrounded by multiple shirtless men?
Why should Rihanna's music videos get everyone riled up when others' equally sexual and controversial videos are in rotation? According to Forbes, Rihanna is worth $143 million. Whether the videos are ethical or not, they help make her a nice amount of money.
As a young woman whose personal and professional lives are sometimes blurred together by blogs, tabloids and other media, the 23-year-old is being forced into becoming a role model she never claimed to be. After her first album, Music of the Sun, Her image (or gimmick) has been all about rebellion and being edgy.
What some parents fail to realize is that even though their children may admire musicians, morals, values and individuality start in the home. So the next time a racy or raunchy music video is released, remember Rihanna can't raise your kids, folks -she just like to make music videos that give us something to talk about. Here's some of Rihanna's most taboo - and sometimes too hot for TV - music videos.
5. "Te Amo": This was the fifth single from Rihanna's Rated R album. Director Anthony Mandler wanted to make sure the video, where Rihanna gets close to a seductive love interest played by French supermodel Laetitia Casta complemented the lesbian love affair that Rihanna sings about, but the video turned out a little too hot and - before it was edited - was banned in the U.S. and some other countries due to that same-sex amour.
4. "Man Down": The Parents Television Council was up in arms after the release of the video for this Loud single, also directed by Mandler. The PTC was upset with because it shows Rihanna shooting and killing a man in Jamaica after he sexually assaults her. According to the PTC, Rihanna's murderous retaliation just advocates more violence; they even went as far as to call the video a double standard and throw Chris Brown in the mix.
A PTC rep stated "If Chris Brown shot a woman in his new video and BET premiered it, the world would stop. Rihanna should not get a pass." Mandler said he expected and welcomed the controversy when the video premiered, because he felt light should be shed on a dark topic.
