Poison - RITA ORA (or DKNY...?)

Had to watch this video twice to find any depth. First go-round I couldn't get past the ridiculous product placements, but also how much the video resembled a DKNY photo shoot. If you know, Rita has been the face of DKNY since late 2013. I would not be surprised if the entirety of the wardrobe choices (both male and female) were of Donna Karan design. What better way to advertise your brand than exploiting your star representative's talent? How can we stretch this song to make it fit into a promotional video for our brand rather than the other way around? It more closely resembles an extended commercial than an artist's music video.

The rumored interpretation is a far stretch from its vanity. We know she's beautiful. Rita Ora is gorgeous. However, we don't need a close to 5-minute video reaffirming this observation.

She's clad in beautiful get-ups and shown getting her make-up done for photo shoot after photo shoot rising to the climax - a launch gala. It isn't until the bridge of the song when we see her 'really' struggle. Until this point we've seen her emotions rise from confusion to wonder to excitement and happiness. Pause the music. Enter brunette old DKNY boyfriend (a near mirror-image of her new icy blonde photographer man). She wants him back. Can't have him with her new lifestyle. Finds life of photos and clothes unfulfilling. Naturally then, she's less clothed to reveal her perfect body (strip off the new and put on some of the old). And let's burn a photo or two to really hammer out the metaphors.

While the video has good intentions and is beautifully shot, there is still a veil of vanity that is difficult to pull away. Congratulations Rita, you've affirmed you're beautiful - though you didn't need to waste a perfectly decent song. B