Rihanna poses topless, won't stop talking about sex. We wonder: What the hell is up?

There's really no other way to interpret this: Rihanna wants to sex us up. In the past month, the singer-who spent the past year scrupulously avoiding interviews-has been out and about, promoting her new CD with a series of racy outfits and even racier quotes. She's been telling radio stations and journalists how she "grabs boobies all of the time" and how all she wants for Christmas is "some great food and some great sex." She explained to News Of The World: "I don't miss sex because I still have fun by myself. You get what I mean?" And on November 24th, she opined to Hot 97, "If you don't send your boyfriend naked pictures, then I feel bad for him."

Rihanna's latest stop on the Sexiest Sexpot in Sextown Tour '09, is the January issue of GQ, where she poses topless for the cover and, inside, can be seen crawling around provocatively, grabbing her crotch, and revealing how a record executive recently asked her to "put some f*cking clothes on."

Well, we get it. Rihanna is one sensual lady. But other than that, what's the point of all this? Who is she trying to attract? Her actions seem sure to alienate much of her younger female fanbase and we don't see how RiRi's lovesick ballads could be solely marketed to masturbatory dudes.

Supposing, to go along with her edgy new music, Rihanna is trying on an edgy new image. And supposing this image is meant to telegraph personal empowerment and send a message to the world that she is her own strong, independent woman, not a victim anymore, and, with this media blitz she is symbolically placing the whole Chris Brown mess in the past forever.

Supposing all that, my question is this: Isn't playing into stereotypical male fantasies (the girl-on-girl "boobies" comments, the naked pictures stuff) its own kind of subjugation? By crawling around in one's underwear and revealing ass cheek and side-boob in a national magazine aren't we selling our bodies and allowing them to be objectified? Is this empowering? Or just a sad cry for help?
I just don't know. Source: Jezebel