Beyoncé revealed her inspirations for her most famous music videos in the latest issue of W Magazine. In an interview with Lynn Hirschberg, the singer explained that she typically imagines a look to accompany a song while writing and recording it in the studio. "I definitely have the image for the video in my mind," she says. "I kind of hear the choreography that will be in the video, and I can see how I’ll look, even before anyone — the record company, the director — has heard the song."

Photos: Beyoncé and Jay-Z

The R&B queen says that her vision for video usually factors in the possibility of fan participation and emulation. "I always think about wearing something a fan could buy and make her own," she says. "As a young girl I remember seeing so many artists, and then I’d try to dress like them. I sewed zippers on my jackets to be like Michael Jackson."

Photos: Random Notes

That said, her recent video for "Run the World (Girls)" has her rocking an accessory that isn't exactly accessible for most fans. "I had read about powerful African men who have hyenas as pets, and I wanted to create a world where women run the world, so in the video I have these hyenas as pets," she says. "I’m wearing a Givenchy Couture gown and I’m holding these crazy hyenas. There’s dirt on the dress, but I’m still pure and regal. I wanted to push the theatrics to make a point: Women rule."

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