So back in March, in my post about the immaculate Beyonce, I went on a full-on rant about why I wasn't going to include Rihanna as one of my Post Modern Muses anymore. In it I pointed out that Beyonce represented positivity and made all the right decisions...and Rihanna was all over the map. Back around the time of that post, RiRi had made a HUGE error in judgment by collaborating with Chris Brown (her ex who viciously beat her back in 2009) on not one but TWO songs. The issue was not whether the two were back together as a couple (though that would be incredibly sad), it was instead about her careless decision to work with her abuser on songs about "licking the icing off" like nothing bad ever happened...it was a terrible message to send, especially to her younger fans. Cut to a few months later, I now realize something. Rihanna represents history...the good and bad, the triumphs and mistakes. While Beyonce is almost impossibly polished, and even Lady Gaga has a meticulously art-directed insanity, Rihanna is a bit rougher around the edges. She's more of a work-in progress who is fascinating to watch evolve. As a fellow Pisces, I get her brand of crazy. She sings songs about being drunk on love, comparing past relationships with russian roulette...all because she longs for someone to make her feel like she's the only one in the world. Though she may make a few missteps along the way, she always seems to adapt and learn from them. And if she doesn't, then at least we can.
Thus Rihanna is the Post Modern Muse descendant of Clio, the Ancient Greek Muse of History. Plus, my god I can't deny how much her banging beats and all around relentless fierceness inspire me on a ridiculous level. And in the end that's what these Post Modern Muses are all about. I mean, have you seen her red-tinged masterpiece music video for "Only Girl (in the World)"?! She looks like the Princess of freaking Mars with red hair that would give Ariel a run for her clam shells. Respect!
As if it were any surprise, my ultimate Post Modern Muse is my long lost fraternal twin sister Lady Gaga. The amount of creativity and boldness that bursts out of her on a daily basis is staggering. Madonna (dare I mention her name in this post) changes her image every couple of years, but Gaga does it every couple of hours. And it's more often than not with sharp wit, a hidden message and a ton of make-up. Her music videos are always an event, mini-movies that explode with high concept. Her live performances are a sight to behold, with enormous elaborate sets and relentless choreography. But when she sits at a piano (which is sometimes on fire, but still), all she needs is her full voice and musical genius to back her crazy sh*# up.
So with all that said (and seeing as how I've listened to each of her songs an almost unhealthy amount of times), it's clear that Lady Gaga is the Post Modern Muse answer to Euterpe, the Ancient Greek Muse of Music. I must admit choosing her outfit was daunting, but I had to go with my absolute favorite performance of hers...or anyone's who has ever performed ever. It's her remixed version of "Paparazzi" on SNL in 2009. Unfortunately, the video of it has been pulled from the interwebs for copyright reasons...but hopefully NBC releases it again somehow, because it is awe-inspiring! Here's an image of her costume at least:
