MEDIA ADVISORY
Contact: Stephanie Nilva, Email: snilva@dayoneny.org
EMINEM AND RIHANNA COLLABORATE ON VIDEO PORTRAYING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
August 6, 2010/New York On August 5th, MTV released Eminem's video for his single, "Love The Way You Lie," a song tracing an abusive relationship, which has already topped the digital charts for several weeks. Featuring abuse survivor, Rihanna, the song uses vivid imagery and raw emotion to depict the cyclical nature of domestic violence. Told from the perspective of the abuser and with Rihanna singing the chorus, the song is reminds the viewer of the real life experiences both artists bring to the piece. With blogs buzzing on whether the song can be characterized as an "activist" piece, "Love the Way You Lie" is provoking a lot of discussion and concern about unhealthy and abusive relationships.
Particularly resonant is the role that Rihanna, a survivor of domestic violence, plays in the song and video. In an interview with Access Hollywood, Rihanna stated, "It's something that, you know, we've both experienced...on different sides…. He [Eminem] pretty much just broke down the cycle of domestic violence and it's something that people don't have a lot of insight on."
Interviewed as an expert on domestic violence by MTV, Stephanie Nilva, Executive Director of Day One, found the mutual violence in the video to be a contrast to the words of the song: "The lyrics are sympathetic to the thought process of an abuser. Hopefully people hearing the song recognize that abusers make a conscious decision to harm their partners, whether emotionally or physically, and that abusers are solely responsible for their behavior."
One thing this song does not allow the listener to do is ignore the issue. Standing in front of a burning house, Rihanna sings, "Just gonna stand there and watch me burn/Well that's all right because I like the way it hurts/Just gonna stand there and watch me cry/Well that's all right because I love the way you lie." In fact, Eminem raps in the last verse that, "I apologize, even though I know it's lies." Victims of domestic violence frequently experience apologies and then renewed violence.
The song ends with its most disturbing lyric when Eminem says, "I know I'm a liar/If she ever tries to f***ing leave again, I'ma tie her to the bed/And set the house on fire." The final death threat acknowledges the cyclical and potentially lethal nature of abusive relationships. In contrast, the video concludes with an image of the two actors portraying the characters in the song – Dominic Monaghan, of "Lost" and Megan Fox of "Transformers" – in bed together. Notably, Ms. Fox donated her fee for the appearance to a domestic violence shelter.
"Day One sees too many victims who have been through this cycle too many times," says Nilva. Rihanna herself has become a symbol for survivors and people experiencing dating violence. Her decision to speak out about her abuse by Chris Brown served to raise extensive awareness of dating violence among young people and led many youth to seek help.
For interviews and commentary on the Eminem/Rihanna collaboration and what Day One is doing to help young people affected by dating violence, contact Stephanie Nilva, Executive Director, at 646.431.4955 or 212.590.9501.
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