Eminem & Rhianna Spark Controversy

Eminem's new music video for his song "Love the Way You Lie" has been released and with it has come controversy over its dark theme of domestic abuse. Rihanna is featured in the video, which adds a level of shock since she was in a violent relationship with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown that ended in February 2009 after a brutal attack. Eminem also has a history of domestic violence between himself and ex-wife Kim, who has been the inspiration for many hate-filled songs over the years.

The video is star-studded, with actress Megan Fox and Lost actor Dominic Monahan playing a couple who love each other passionately, but become violent when Megan Fox finds another woman's number written on his hand. The lyrics "You swore you've never hit 'em/ Never do nothing to hurt 'em/ Now you're in each other's face," and "So lost in the moments when you're in 'em/ It's the rage that took over/ It controls you both," paint a picture of how difficult it is for couples involved in domestic violence to leave the relationship. 

Check out the video here:

The song is currently at the number one position for the third consectutive week on the Billboard Hot 100 list, but the music video is being considered controversial by many viewers. In the video we watch as Megan Fox and Dominic Monahan's relationship literally goes up in flames, while Eminem and Rihanna sing in front of the couple's house. While some people are happy to finally see domestic abuse being spoken about in a high-profile way, others are worried about exactly what kind of message it's sending to viewers.

Part of the controversy is around the way the video was shot in flattering lighting, with gorgeous celebrities who make domestic abuse look sexy instead of frightening. It could be easy, especially for younger viewers, to get the wrong impression about what the video is trying to say, especially since Rihanna sings "Just gonna stand there/ And watch me burn/ But that's alright/ Because I like/ The way it hurts." Having experienced abuse first-hand, it's disturbing for sing about the pain being addictive.

Dominic Monahan told MTV News, "I think we tried as hard as we could to not glorify the violence, to try and explain that this was a relationship that is by no means ideal and a relationship that probably should have ended a lot sooner than it did."

Megan Fox donated every cent of the paycheck she received for the video to a battered women's shelter, which leads us to wonder why the rest of the video wasn't dedicated to educating the public about the consequences of domestic abuse, or what viewers can do to help. After all, domestic violence is a very serious issue, which kills an average of three women per day, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Eminem has been accused of being abusive to his ex-wife, Kim, so it's an odd duet; two people from opposite ends of one very serious issue. Hopefully we can all look at this video as a warning of how dangerous violent relationships are and that they shouldn't be hidden, but ended immediately.