After an excruciating buildup, Beyoncé's video for "Run The World (Girls)" is finally here. It takes place in a futuristic "Mad Max"-style world where people keep wild animals as pets and marauding single-sex gangs constantly rumble with each other via sexy, assertive dance moves. It's also got an Egyptian feel, which leads us to believe it takes place in the bombed-out desert remains of that once-fertile land.
As always, B's choreography is great, but the outfits and other accoutrements really take center stage in the clip. Beyoncé looks even sexier than usual -- if that's possible -- by donning desert couture like shoes made of mirrors. (Perhaps fellow "Telephone" buddy Lady Gaga rubbed off on her.) The shot of the R&B diva with two large hyenas on chains conveys a terrifying sense of power, as well as recalling the amazing photography of Pieter Hugo, who spent time following real-life hyena gangs in Africa. (Y'all knew that, right?)
All in all, it's a visually stunning tribute to the power of women, as reflected in lyrics like:
Boy don't even try to take us
Boy this beat is crazy
This is how they made me
Houston, Texas, baby
This goes out to all my girls
That's in the club rocking the latest
Who will buy it for themselves and get more money later
+ Watch Beyoncé's "Run The World (Girls)" video below.