Gen X pervs are probably very excited at the thought of actress Rose McGowan being topless in her debut music video, but anyone familiar with the starlet's body (ahem) of work — not to mention the oftentimes equally out there stylings of director Jonas Akerlund and his fashion director wife B. Akerlund — should not be surprised that this one is anything but straightforward.
There's several recurrent credits in the Beyonce Visual Album, but one that may have caught your attention is stylist B. Akerlund.
She caught the NY Times attention too, which weighs in with a high profile feature on Akerlund — yes, she's married to director Jonas Akerlund — who styled four of the album's 17 videos including the first clip, "Pretty Hurts." Other styling credits include Lady Gaga "Paparazzi", Britney Spears "Work Bitch" and Madonna's look for her Super Bowl halftime show.
The piece is centered on the Beyonce release — there's a slideshow of all the various looks in it — but mainly gives a great insight into the important role of the stylist in music videos and beyond.
Beyonce's Visual Album kicks off with "Pretty Hurt," drawing upon memories of childhood beauty pageants, but with a specific focus on the forced smiles, forced diets and other pressures. Eventually it all comes to a head for Miss Third Ward with pageant host Harvey Keitel.
