In reply to Lax.

RIHANNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!
Key to Rihanna's appeal is the sense that she is doing what she wants to do and having fun. To what extent her style is a straightforward reflection of this, and to what extent it is manufactured, is not easy to tease apart. When asked about the S&M video in an interview in British Vogue last year, she said: "that's not me. That's a part I play. You know, like it's a piece of art, with all these toys and textures to play with." Her fans, however, ardently want to believe that she is "just being herself" – so that, for the most part, is the message they are given. "There is such an energy about Rihanna. She looks like a young woman who is living her life and doing things her way," says Mackenzie. "Whether or not it is all part of a marketing campaign, the point is that it doesn't come across like that."