For those still waiting for Rihanna to release music, collect your napkins or handkerchiefs because it is going to be a hot minute until that happens. Rihanna’s latest project released on YouTube titled, “Born to Steal: Yours, Mine, Ours,” is a one-minute and 53-second short film promoting her newest product in her Fenty Beauty line, Lux Balm Ultra-Hydrating Cherry Lip Balm. Though what may seem like just another unique form of marketing, the short film also explores the banter of relationships and the definition of self-care.
Captured in black and white and set in the 20s era, the film is narrated by a male voice, seemingly Rocky, who captures the elegant and devious essence of Rihanna. “She was a classy dame, but she had odd ways of showing her affection,” are the first lines that are spoken as Rihanna looks into the camera. Her makeup and hair are perfectly done to match the classy and ageless aesthetic of the 20s.
Bouncy piano music creates a playful tone at the beginning of the film, emphasizing the lighthearted nature between Rihanna and Rocky. She later goes into his closet while he narrates, “The male chooses his attire carefully. Although the female choices are endless, she borrows from the male for her camouflage.” The dialogue plays around with the conventional joke of a partner stealing from their significant other’s (SO) closet. The narrator then says, “The more Savage of the species, the females are known to hoard from the unsuspecting males.” Not only referencing Rihanna’s lingerie line, Savage X Fenty, the narrator also continues to make fun of the stealing and borrowing of clothes from one’s SO as Rihanna steals a blazer from her beau’s closet. Throughout this scene, she exudes a mysteriousness to her character as if acknowledging her sneaky actions. It is clever and humorous, to say the least.
Glimpses of her Lux Balm are shown as Rocky ponders where his blazer might have gone. His wardrobe matches the aesthetic the film sets; a striped shirt tucked into dark pants and black gloves make him look clean and effortless while applying the balm. The promo could not honestly get better; Rihanna has outshined her competitors into nonexistence.
The final scenes of the film show the couple’s easy-going nature with one another throughout a series of scenes. Rihanna steals the blanket from Rocky, leaving him to sleep in the cold. She steals his pancakes, indulging in them mischievously, and proves that she has also taken Rocky’s lip balm. The narrator then says, “So when I finally solved the case of my missing Lux Balm, I wasn’t surprised when she surfaced. Not so fast baby, this one’s mine” before Rocky smiles into the camera, gleefully.
Miniscule in its duration, the short film’s jovial nature of its depiction of relationships is also layered with the importance of taking care of one’s body. This is directed at particularly men as they have usually been shown throughout history that they lack self-care or barely know what a skincare routine is at all. Today, there has been an emphasis on self-care for men as more products are geared towards them. For all the men out there, it is okay to moisturize your lips, and as the short film states: “lips speak louder than words.”
Verdict: Witty and romantic, “Born to Steal, Yours, Mine, Ours” was a successful marketing tool that will most likely make you jealous of Rihanna and Rocky’s in-sync chemistry.
