“F**kin’ Perfect,” the second single from P!nk‘s Greatest Hits…So Far!!!, rises to #30 in its third week on the Billboard Hot 100. Sure, the curse word in the title might get your attention, but the song’s theme of self-worth cuts deeper than that. Today the mama-to-be put out an arresting music video for the track to drive that point home like a truck driver on speed.

This is so not a la-di-dah, get-the-party-started clip. Rather, the music video for “F**kin’ Perfect” hits viewers with some tough-to-watch scenes from the very first frame. There’s a happy resolution by the end (spoiler alert!), but boy, do we have to travel a pitch-black path first to get there.

Aware that her intentions might be missudaztood, P!nk has released a lengthy ‘personal note’ about the video, helpfully copied in its entirety here (though I’ve corrected a few minor grammatical goofs):

“I’m sure my newest video for “F**kin’ Perfect” will be much like some of my other videos, which basically means I expect it will ruffle some feathers.
My favorite books, art pieces, films, and music, always have something jarring about them. I want art to make me think. In order to do that, it may piss me off, or make me uncomfortable. That promotes awareness and change, or at least some discussion.
That is my intention. You can’t move mountains by whispering at them.
Cutting and suicide, two very different symptoms of the same problem, are gaining on us. (The problem being: alienation and depression. The symptoms: cutting and suicide.) I personally don’t know a single person who doesn’t know at least two of these victims personally. A lot of us have seen certain starlets showing off their latest scars on a red carpet somewhere, usually right before they head back to their favorite rehab.
It’s a problem, and it’s something we should talk about. We can choose to ignore the problem, and therefore ignore this video, but that won’t make it go away.
I don’t support or encourage suicide or cutting. I support the kids out there that feel so desperate/numb/powerless, that feel unseen and unheard, and can’t see another way… I want them to know I’m aware. I have been there. I see them. Sometimes that’s all it takes.
Making this video was a very emotional experience for me, as was writing this song. I have a life inside of me, and I want her or him to know that I will accept him or her with open and loving and welcoming arms. And though I will prepare this little munchkin for a sometimes cruel world, I will also equip this kid to see all the beauty in it as well. There are good people in this world that are open-minded, and loving. There are those that accept us with all of our flaws. I do that with my fans/friends, and I will do that with my child, whoever they decide to be.
If you or someone you know needs help, please visit TWLOHA.

Check out the “F**kin’ Perfect” music video below. Do you think P!nk has gone too far, or are you raising your glass to the singer for bringing attention to these issues, however disturbing they might seem?

Purchase P!nk – “F**kin’ Perfect” via iTunes, Amazon MP3. Or opt for the Clean Radio Edit, via iTunes, Amazon MP3.