There are two things Mariah loves doing in music videos: Having the wind blow her mane in the wind and showing off her *Anna Nicole voice* BAW-DEE! Mariah Carey is 39 going on 40 and nothing, not gravity’s wear and tear on her body or the media’s critique’s of her skimpy fashion sense, has deterred the eternal butterfly from spreading her wings every chance she gets. And so, the video for “H.A.T.E.U.” falls victim to the same treatment as the “Loving You Long Time” video and we’re left with sand, hair and cougar cleavage.
Watch the video for Mariah's "H.A.T.E.U." video below.
Def Jam is pinching pennies with promo for “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel,” as the limited resources in the clip illustrate. But the video's concept of contemplating life and love at the beach could’ve worked if Mariah’s 12-year-old mind got out of the way. Mariah clearly loves the symbolism of cleansing and baptism that the ocean and the beach represent, but she lacks any serious visual acumen to do anything more with the locale than to get her Sports Illustrated swimsuit model on.
Imagine if instead of opting for bikini baring, Mariah came to the beach dressed in her wedding dress as a beleaguered bride and throughout the course of the video, she ripped and tore off pieces of the dress, all while showing flashbacks of Mimi and her lover in happier days. Then to close the video, showed Mariah submerging herself completely in the ocean in her wedding dress. A little poetry, a little drama. Nothing over the top.
Sadly, the actual video’s only attempt at dramatic tension is Mariah writing “H.A.T.E.U.” in the sand is laughable and tearing up with a 'my goldfish died' look on her face. If Mimi really wants to pass off this album as a peek into her emotional landscape, as the word “memoirs” in the album title implies, she’s gonna have to give us more than a pin-up doll act.
