Rihanna has finally spoken out about her feelings about what went down earlier this year after she was beaten by her ex(?) boyfriend Chris Brown on the morning of the Grammy Awards.
She did an interview with Glamour magazine, which is set to come in their December issue - they dropped a preview of it today (no doubt to beat out ABC).
A few of the snippets:
On the photo of her being leaked.
It was humiliating; that is not a photo you would show to anybody. I felt completely taken advantage of. I felt like people were making it into a fun topic on the Internet, and it’s my life. I was disappointed, especially when I found out the photo was [supposedly leaked by] two women.
On the chaos immediately afterwards:
It has taught me so much. I felt like I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears. That was the level of media chaos that happened the next day. It was like, What, there are helicopters circling my house? There are 100 people in my cul-de-sac? What do you mean, I can’t go back home?
On what she wants her message to other young women suffering from domestic violence to be:
Domestic violence is a big secret. No kid goes around and lets people know their parents fight. Teenage girls can’t tell their parents that their boyfriend beat them up. You don’t dare let your neighbor know that you fight. It’s one of the things we [women] will hide, because it’s embarrassing. My story was broadcast all over the world for people to see, and they have followed every step of my recovery.
Our take on this?
We're glad she spoke. We really hope against hope that she is not being pressured to do so just to pub her album. That would be the rankest exploitation.
We know a lot of the ignorant commenters out there would like domestic violence to be a black or white issue, so they can justify their hatred/jealousy of Rihanna.
Cheeeeeese... on.
Rihanna is a bigger woman than me - and I don't mean just in the literal sense that she's five foot nuff.
I would cuss two claat or several rholes at Beenie Man last night for what he did.
Hear de scene that went down last night in Barbados at Reggae on the Hill.
The show was great - Buju Banton, Queen Ifrica, Morgan Heritage and a whole host of other artists, with Beenie Man closing the all-day show.
Anyhow, for the whole day, Beenie breezing up in the Prime Minister's VVIP stand, drinking Hennesy straight from the bottle, bun'ing a lil weed, going down every now and then to hug up the crowd just on the outside of the stand and clearly fulljoying himself.
Towards the late afternoon, Rihanna, who has been in Barbados for the past week or so, came into the stand as well and was just chilling.
Anyhow, when Beenie touch the stage now at about 7:30 and gave a generally decent performance - certainly the crowd was with him.
Thennnn... he start calling for Rihanna to "report back stage immediately".
And then he start talking up a set of things about the infamous beating incident between her and Chris Brown, asking the crowd if they didn't think it was "ah eediat ting weh Chris do" while singing a very off-key version of the hook to 'Umbrella'. You could hear a collective 'ooooohhhh!' as the crowd sucked in its breath when he said it.
Honestly, you could tell that he was well-meaning, because he was definitely on her side and he was trying to hype up the crowd against Chris Brown but jeez ... you feel the girl really want to be reminded of that incident in front of tens of thousands of Bajans?
Said I to myself 'well no way she coming up on stage now!'
But Beenie kept calling for her and singing 'Umbrella' and lo and behold, she actually came up on the stage. Then he start singing his version of Umbrella , part of which went "Mi nuh have no fancy car/But mi neva give you no scar".
Trust me.
I. was. shame. for de girl. Everyone was shame because the crowd didn't really hype up and carry on the way they had been earlier when he was just performing all his hits. I just wanted it to end.
You could tell she was a little shame too because she was waving an Ethiopian flag at first and then she put her arm over her face but kudos to her, she mostly kept her game face on while he went on and on bout the incident and smiled and waved to his singing.
Like I say, better than me because no way I was coming up on stage and worse, staying on while he reminded everyone of something she is clearly trying to put behind her. Obviously it's hard to put behind her when it caused a global stir but to have it brought up so, right in front your face and on stage in front of thousands... that rough still.
Anyhow, after a little bit she waved to the crowd and came off stage and you would think it would done there. But Beenie wasn't done. He told her that Chris fi get vex when he see the pictures of him (Beenie) and Rihanna hugging up on stage because he is the 'girls dem suga' and anything the sugar touch get sticky and that when Chris see it he must get Heart Attack and then he went into that song.
And the crowd hyped up for it and thank god, that was the last of it.
Hm. From the 'we don't want to believe it but we don't doubt it' files, comes news that Rihanna and Chris Brown are back together again.
People.com is reporting that Chris reached out to Rihanna on her 21st birthday (by phone, not fist this time) and that the two are presently holed up at one of Diddy's villas in Miami Beach's Star Island.
According to a 'source':
"While Chris is reflective and saddened about what happened, he is really happy to be with the woman he loves. ... He called to wish her happy birthday. They've reached out to each other. It's been mutual."
Sigh.
Now first, Diddy knows he is wrong for accommodating these two in this. He is older than them and should not be helping them hide and dodge and get back together out of the public eye.
At the very least, Diddy is a consumate businessman - he's all about money and these two kids are effing up their money right now with this because the public has already crucified Chris, especially after that photo came out showing Rihanna with her lip busted up and her head all bruised. And while they will give Rihanna a little more leeway since she is the alleged victim, they are not going to take kindly to her essentially throwing all their sympathy back at them by going back with him. It's a Bobby-Whitney type situation and sympathy will eventually turn to disgust.
I'm not really vex-vex with either of them though, since who can say this was really unexpected? Especially in light of their tempestuous relationship?
I'm disappointed and I wish someone could get through to them and make them see what they are doing. I wish someone older who has been through that flush of irrational, emotional first love could protect them from themselves.
But damn it, I've been 21 and crazy in love too and I sometimes wish I could go back to the 21 year old me and tell her:
DON'T DO IT, GIRL!!!!!!
There are some things you only realise with age and time, like just because you feel you are going into withdrawal when you and the person break up, doesn't mean it will last forever and doesn't mean that you should stay with that person who is bad for you. Even when you are in the throes of real deep tabanca - losing weight, crying 24/7, no energy to face the day, you need to think long-term.
But... I've been 21 too.
Sigh.
