The Vixen Doll
While the first archetype featured the "Superstar", I have created my own personal definition of the "Bad Girl"/"Good Girl Gone Bad" archetype - The Vixen. As always, as a disclaimer, this is my opinion and I do not own these images, but I do own this archetype series. For our analysis, we are using none other than Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty, who is the face of sex appeal and the literal “Bad Gal” of the music industry.
Doll Archetype: The Vixen Doll
aka: “The Bad Girl”, “The Wildcard”, “The Rebel”, “The Baddie”
The Vixen Doll is that girl that just lives her life unapologetically and enthralls everyone doing it. She does everything in an unconventional manner, and she doesn't care what anyone thinks about it.
In pop culture, “vixen” is closely associated with “the video vixen” of the late 90s and early 2000s. It was a hallmark of hip hop culture coming into its own. Vixens were known to have a cohesive look and convey sex appeal to the masses, creating a lucrative career just from honoring their sacred womanhood.
Now, modern day “vixens” are those in the music industry. Rihanna is the epitome of what a video vixen used to serve - looks, body, and a carefree, empowered attitude. She has natural sex appeal and sexual agency.
*In historical times, she was called The Lilith.
Her decisions create a magnetic pull between her and everyone else. People would much rather dismiss her as too much or unintelligent than to admit that they are obsessed with her dark, magnetic energy (especially, when it comes to Bad Girls/vixens doing away with respectability politics).
Vixens truly have no filter and try their hardest to teach everyone what it's like to live carefree. Here are 4 things that make the Vixen archetype and what we can learn.
1. IDGAF Attitude.
The Vixen never gives a “F”, even when other people think she should.
She is stubborn in this sense, and she knows it. Sometimes, she takes it a bit too far. But it serves her well because she boosts her own intrinsic value, rather than waiting on other people to validate it for her. She is bold, authentic, and honest...some would say a little too much, but she is one of those people that is respected because of her ability to take no crap from anyone.
“When you realize who you live for, and who’s important to please, a lot of people will actually start living. I am never going to get caught up in that. I’m gonna look back on my life and say that I enjoyed it – and I lived it for me.” – Rihanna
At once point, she even had a twitter icon that said "well behaved bitches seldom make history." A lot of people are so young that they don't remember her era of clapbacks, as now she is a lot calmer.
After photos leaked of the star smoking a rolled “cigarette” (clearly a blunt) on a bodyguard’s shoulders at Coachella in 2012, the music television network tweeted “Yikes. @Rihanna’s marijuana photos from Coachella spark controversy.” Her response? “@MTV Yikes… @rihanna ran out of f–ks to give.””
You don’t necessarily have to read people for filth, but you do have to learn how to advocate for yourself when necessary and express yourself without self punishment.
Rihanna is known to express herself, where most people are fearful to. As a former people pleaser, I had to embody a sense of freedom and emancipate myself from everyone's expectations.
I had to learn to stop caring what other people may think if I said or did XYZ. And yes, I know what you’re about to say… “But Miss Doll, how? It’s really hard to just “stop caring”.” Well, with anything, it takes time, and is a daily process. It involves repeating to yourself “I am in control of my life. They are in control of theirs.”
Everyone is their own individual with their own set of values…you don’t have to match anyone else’s. Your journey to putting your cares first will garner haters and some friends (or even family) may even fade away, but this too shall pass. You started with yourself, and you have to live with yourself. They aren’t you, and never could be. This won’t last forever.
Hard - Rihanna (Rated R era)
If someone is judging your lifestyle, it says more about them than you that they even find it their business to vocalize. Most women are pick me’s who are miserable with their lack of agency. It’s not your responsibility to be a soundboard for their unresolved issues and fear of liberation. Learning to have an 'I don't give an F' attitude about life means trusting yourself enough to take the reigns of your own life without needing any permission.
What we can learn:
Work on caring less about what other people think. Ask yourself: “how does it benefit me to care? Why do I care so much?”
Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself. Stop being a people pleaser and learn (productive) ways to say no.
What will go so wrong if you stop following everyone else’s rules? Learn to be okay with your satisfaction, and no one else’s.
2. Unconventionality.
The Vixen is the most unconventional person you will ever meet. She’s always pushing the envelope, and doesn’t conform to society’s standards.
Rihanna is known for going against the mold and making her own. This can be seen in her many, many rebrands that people didn't always agree with. I mean, she came onto the mainstream scene with an asymmetrical bob and a smokey eye. She originally was a typical, cookie cutter girl pursuing R&B and went a completely different direction. Her most unconventional era was "Rated R", which was birthed out of a traumatic time in her life.
Rihanna was meek and amicable when she came onto the scene, but over time she established herself as the "Bad Gal" who went against every cookie cutter image there was. She literally has an album titled Good Girl Gone Bad, but that wasn't even her peak. Rihanna's unconventionality leads her to be misunderstood often.
“When I was fourteen and first started going out, I always wanted to be the opposite of everyone else. So I would go to the club in a polo T-shirt and pants and sneakers and a hat on backward, just so I would not be dressed like other girls.” – Rihanna
Rated R era
A peak of Rihanna's opposition to everyone else was RATED R. Chuck Arnold of Billboard described the record as a "coming-of-age manifesto" and also Rihanna's version of Jackson's Control (1986). According to him, Rated R is "her declaration of independence from Brown and her taking charge of a narrative that had turned her into a victim."[148] Similarly, Blavity's Jordan Simon compared it to Jackson's The Velvet Rope, and described it as "a dark portrait of a Black woman's journey to self-healing".[149]
"Before, there was an innocence to me," she said of the time prior to the Brown altercation. "It was a perfect image. So the minute I did something imperfect, it was a big deal. I think that's what he was referring to: People forget that after we get to our hotel rooms at night, we take a shower, we watch TV, eat room service and do normal things. Behind it all, we are still human beings." -Rihanna
I like to say that you have to learn to be okay with being misunderstood...you are in this world to understand yourself, not force anyone else to understand you. There is a lot of power in accepting that you don't have to be or do anything anyone else wants for you. Like, if other people don't vibe with you then so what? Rihanna was fearless in her pursuit of rebranding herself to align with the time of her life.
Everyone’s so afraid to start over, meanwhile, I’m on my 30th rebrand. Take that chance to reinvent yourself… stop being so boring and stop playing it safe. You can’t be HER if you’re too busy trying to please THEM.
What we can learn:
Know the value of being in your own world. You make the rules. You are the CEO of your own life, fire and hire as you please.
Learn how to be unafraid and content with being misunderstood.
You don't always have to perform how society wants you to.
3. Seductiveness.
Without even trying, she is seductive. A Vixen embodies natural sex appeal that is cultivated through her agency of the aforementioned "IDGAF attitude". She isn't afraid to show a little skin and to go for her target's biggest weakness.
Rihanna's allure comes in the fact that she is not restrained by societal norms of modesty or what other people think a woman should behave like. So many women are afraid to go against how they might've been raised and see sexuality as something to condemn. This archetype ensures that there is nothing wrong with that. In some form or fashion, it's a symbol of female empowerment to take back what has been seen as such a hot commodity.
A huge factor that people associate with sexuality is a typical thick BBL body...but Rihanna is a great example of someone at fluctuating weights being one of the most sexual in the world.
While Rihanna now owns "Savage X Fenty", the appeal is less in the lingerie itself and more in the sex appeal she possesses. Sense of self and sexuality go hand in hand.
Like discussed in the previous archetype, a lot of girls may dress sexually or go purchase a new body, but it doesn't seem to matter because they, unfortunately, lack the intrinsic value to generate allure and the magnetic force they desire so badly. Sexuality is a mindset and an inner thing. To embody it, you must learn that your anxiety only comes from what has been programmed in you from when you were younger. Stop being so afraid to move your body in public. Stop overthinking what to wear at a party. Stop wishing you could be the girl that just went for it and just do it. Stop trying to force something to fit in. Allow your sexuality to speak for itself.
It's not one specific outfit or one specific way of speaking, it's an energy and a mindset. You don’t have to necessarily show your sisters or your dump truck to convey seductiveness… it’s all in the energy. It falls into place once you execute the "IDGAF" attitude. And while some Vixen archetypes fall into the trap of doing this too much, you have to respect their candor.
What we can learn:
Understand that you are the prize and hold all of the power. Learn to weaponize your sexuality, instead of being ashamed of it.
Love your body. Learn your body. You only get one.
Cultivate your appeal by cultivating your sense of self.
Your aura comes from within. Stop trying to force something and learn who you are on the inside so you can radiate your aura on the outside.
4.Wildcard.
“I hate going to the gym and doing it the old-fashioned way. I hate anything that’s too straightforward, too routine, too familiar, and I get bored really, really quickly.” – Rihanna
Ultimately, she is a mixed bag. People never know what they will get with her.
One minute, Rih is probably drunk shaking her butt somewhere at a party and the next she is at a conference for Dior. She knows there's a time and place for everything, and when it comes time to do what needs to be done, she's ready to go at it.
People don't typically know what to expect from Rihanna. She may come to an event with the most outrageous and daring outfit on, she may be inside the box. But she's always going to keep people talking because nobody knows what's next.
So many people talk about "moving in silence" (don’t get me started on that), but Rihanna is the definition of that. She is so focused on her next move that she doesn't prove her lifestyle or upcoming plans to anyone but those close to her and, obviously, herself. She is a surprise when she pops out. For example, after leaving the industry and focusing on her billion dollar business industry, she pops out ready to host the Super Bowl in 2023 with her last album being Anti. When she shows up, she shows out.
What we can learn:
Always keep people on their toes.
Never reveal your next steps to the general public.
Keep your evolution consistent and keep yourself relevant in rooms you haven't even entered yet.
Allow yourself to live with reckless abandon (within reason).
In conclusion, these archetypes are inwardly based and cultivated over time.
Rihanna didn’t become this way overnight, she grew into it through finding herself. Her career spans from teenage years to her 20s. Your 20s are a pivotal era of defining who you will be for your 30s, and even when you reach your 30s, that definition changes.
A lot of older women look back on their youth with regret. There are things they yearn to repeat or do differently. They wish they could be as bold and brash as someone else, meanwhile the power has been within them the whole time. Some of them even translate this intense desire to being a hater. Don’t let that be you.
Your life isn’t over, there’s still time to be the bold version of you. Your wild self can coexist with the more tame parts of you, and that’s what Rihanna has learned as she walks through motherhood and music retirement. Honor your inner bad girl/repressed rebellious teenager that’s been waiting to come out. Define what that liberated side of yourself means to you. There’s layers to who you are. Don’t conform to being in one mold out of fear of breaking someone else’s.
