Eminem’s ‘Love the Way You Lie’ Video Glorifies Violence

The other day saw the release of the official video for “Love the Way You Lie,” the chart-topic collaboration from Eminem and Rihanna, included on his best-selling album “Recovery.” Directed by Joseph Khan, it features Dominic Monaghan and Megan Fox as a couple locked in an abusive relationship, with the aim of sending a message that such situations are dangerous and should be avoided.

Whether the video actually manages to do that – or precisely the contrary – is debatable, and obviously makes for the hottest discussion topic online right now. Entertainment Weekly’s MusicMix, for one, seems inclined to believe that, far from denouncing abusive relationships, the video tells audiences that there is a certain glamour to the drama, by means of visually shocking and sensual imagery. Fans strongly disagree – but not all of them do so.

As it’s common knowledge by now, both Eminem and Rihanna draw on their personal experience for the song and the video. Em and his wife Kim spent many years of their life trying to break free from each other – and the abusive relationship that threatened to consume them both. Rihanna, on the other hand, was a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her ex Chris Brown. However, the way they chose to make the video, with Fox and Monaghan making violence appear almost glamorous, is unfortunate at best, EW says.

“Eminem premiered his new video for ‘Love the Way You Lie’ tonight, and it features Rihanna standing in her underpants in front of a flaming house where Dominic Monaghan and Megan Fox are intermittently beating the [expletive] out of each other and playing intense, Stanley Cup levels of tonsil hockey. Meanwhile, Em is standing in a field of pure and innocent tall grass, rapping about how he is sorry. All the rage and beatings are lit in a very dramatic and [sensual] way, because the people doing the raging and beating are very lithe and muscular and gorgeous. As far as one can tell, it is still not Penny’s boat,” EW writes.

The tracks is absolutely stunning, with the two bringing this summer’s (or even year’s) best song. Its message, though, is lost with the video because it’s too glamorous to be taken seriously. “It’s a great track, and a star-powered video. The moral of the story is, clearly, that stealing vodka is wrong. But does it take responsibility for its dramatization of domestic violence? And knowing all we know about Rihanna’s personal life (and Em’s), is this collision of reality and fame-world cleansing or just awkward?” EW asks.

Of course, it could very well be that all this – including whether the video dramatizes violence – is relative. As some fans point out on dedicated forums, there are many angles from which to approach a story of domestic violence, and it could be that Em chose to go for the more stylized one for commercial reasons – but that’s not to say that it will not drive the message home. Below is the official video for “Love the Way You Lie” – you be the judge. *Discretion is strongly recommended for strong and violent imagery, and graphic language. 

Follow me on Twitter @ElenaGorgan