While some have accused pop culture (and movies in particular) of falling increasingly prey to the “New Literalism,” JENNIE and Dua Lipa certainly aren’t guilty of that in the former’s latest single from Ruby, “Handlebars.” While one might naturally assume that such a title would make any visual accompaniment ripe for a bike riding moment, no such scene is present anywhere in the BRTHR-directed video.
Instead, “Handlebars” has something of a “Hold It Against Me” effect, the 2011 video from Britney Spears that saw her working with Jonas Åkerlund for the first time. In a similar way to Spears being surrounded by “vintage” TVs in said video, “Handlebars” opens with JENNIE lying on a circular bed outfitted in satin sheets (in this instant, channeling her inner Sabrina Carpenter) as she lolls about taking Polaroids of herself (in this instant, channeling her inner Madonna as Susan in Desperately Seeking Susan). Behind her, one of the TVs short-circuits, emitting what looks like an almost “magical” kind of dust as the camera then zooms in on the image of that TV, showing JENNIE walking down a rain-soaked alley.
Standing dramatically in the rain (as it is always dramatic to stand in the rain), JENNIE snaps her fingers, instantly freezing all the water around her so that we can see each individual drop. With that, the title credits appear as the opening notes to the Rob Bisel-produced track lull the viewer in, even if only to what amounts to another recent example of a “non-narrative” video (though not in nearly as such a blatant way as something like Cardi B’s “Miami”). Instead, “Handlebars” presents nothing more than an opportunity for JENNIE and Dua to “look hot” while certain “sick” special effects are incorporated to heighten their glam.
Amidst the backdrop of the alley, a “Ray of Light”-esque square dance floor (filled itself with squares that alternate in illuminating colors) appears for JENNIE to lie or stand on as she wishes. The overall cinematography of these moments in particular lend an ultra-saturated, hyper-surreal effect, almost as though to emphasize the rose-colored glasses vibe of what happens when one falls in love without caution. Or, as JENNIE phrases it, “I always go all in, all in/Over the handlebars/Hitting the ground so hard.” And, although, once again, a bike scene would have been nothing short of perfect to encapsulate that verse and the sentiment behind it, what we get instead is a scene of a heart-shaped spiderweb that JENNIE finds herself right in the center of.
BRTHR then goes back to the “Hold It Against Me” room where we first saw JENNIE, with more “Britney-coded” semiotics in the form of an overhead shot of JENNIE à la the one Spears gets in her famed “Oops!…I Did It Again” video. And then there is the continued nod to Madonna as Susan taking Polaroids of herself and generally displaying a “too cute for you” attitude.
When Dua Lipa finally enters the picture, it’s as an apparently celestial being, as made evident by a magic trench coat that looks translucently divine at first, before fully revealing itself as a see-through plastic number. While interspersing more of the scenes we’ve already been made privy to, BRTHR then incorporates a new one of JENNIE and Dua as multiples stretched out across the screen (perhaps an aesthetic that’s becoming a “trend,” if MARINA’s “Butterfly” video is another indication).
Other shots of Lipa give her the chance for a costume change, her most standout accessory being a pair of sheer arm-length gloves with allover flower appliqués. Lipa also gets her own opportunity to join JENNIE in the heart-shaped spiderweb, marking the tonal shift in the video where it suddenly feels like there’s a lesbianic vibe. One that JENNIE was also eager to push in her recent Chicken Shop Date episode. Said vibe also shows up anew when the two lock eyes that shoot out water (a running motif throughout the video) that then collides to form a fiery heart, with the pair then concluding their song with a series of sounds that serves up the same effect as what Rihanna does on “Love on the Brain” when she sings, “Got me like ah-ah-ah-ah.”
So while there might not be any bikes (not even a motorcycle) or heteronormative displays that one would expect of a song of this nature, JENNIE and Dua nonetheless get their message across in a very non-literal way.
[…] No Bikes Required for JENNIE and Dua Lipa in the Video for “Handlebars” […]