Today's Evil Beet Gossip

Rihanna Says Domestic Violence Can “Happen to Anyone”

rihanna_chanel

Rihanna’s new album comes out in less than a month, so it’s obviously time to start talking about domestic violence. Sigh. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad she’s talking, I just wish it didn’t have to have the stench of a PR stunt surrounding it.

Rihanna did an interview with Diane Sawyer, to air on Good Morning America on Thursday and Friday, and you better believe ABC is going to be leaking little quotes from it about every 12 hours up until that time.

“This happened to me … it can happen to anyone,” she told Diane in the interview. The 21-year-old also referred to Chris Brown as “definitely my first big love.”

I don’t even blame Rihanna for this — she is a very young girl dealing with some very big issues. She’s in no position to navigate these waters, and she’s depending on her team for guidance. I think it’s in really poor taste for her management to start dragging her around the talk show circuit using the fact that she was the victim of domestic violence to sell albums. Hopefully at least this publicity will help her send a positive message to women everywhere, and maybe help another woman to seek help if she’s in a similar situation.

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  • Everyone wanted her to talk and share her experience; to warn others about domestic violence, now it’s a ‘stunt’. Sure, the timing is bad. But maybe she didn’t really want to talk about it and decided that now she’s back in the spotlight with some new music, she’d better get to talking since that’s all anyone is going to ask her about.

    • Who cares if people think it’s a “stunt”. I think it’s got to be very hard for her to open up about something so devastating. If she sees some benefit out of a horrendous situation, more power to her.

      • Why do people insist on saying “who cares?” about topics that a lot of people obviously care about? I realize that it’s just a phrase, but it’s a silly, utterly unsubstantial one that hardly contributes to an actual conversation.

  • I agree that the timing of this PR blitz on domestic violence/new CD does feel suspect. But if this domestic violence PR tour came independent of Rihanna’s CD comeback/official return to the public eye it would probably be generally construed as “The Chris Brown hit(s) Me” PR tour rather than the “Rihanna comes back stronger after a very dark hour” PR tour.

  • Comeon!!!!? She knows and is pals with all the high flyers of rap and r&b music, is super rich and independant of any ties to order her about or pay her bills and chose, stayed.. with this abusive guy for a looooong time but; .. she can’t say owie and get away.. at any time during their relationship she couldn’t order her guards of the abuse nor tell her rich powerful pals to take him out and make him stay away…? How dumb are knowing we that she likes to fight and that one time too many she pushed Chris buttons and it got out of control..? That’s why the guys and music industry didn’t harm or shame him.. They know her bitchy dangerous ways.. and that this would happen.

  • sure she’s got an album coming out and sure the economy’s in bad shape so the record companies want to make sure their PR plan counts for something but THE WOMAN IS TALKING ABOUT THIS SUBJECT & HER EXPERIENCE!

    I really don’t care if she sells a few albums in the process, of course she will. But doesn’t she also have a song on that album (“Russian Roulette”) about her experience anyway?

    As long as she’s telling the truth, which I assume she is then good because millions of young women and girls will listen to what she has to say– the conversation has begun.
    That’s what we need.

  • “… it can happen to anyone,”

    Sure it can. If you happened to be dating a pussy who is only “brave” enough to get violent with women. I never heard of that punk breaking bad on another guy. He is a fucking squirrel. Why would a woman date or want to marry a guy who physically is a man but inside is a timid, weak, punk-ass little bitch? If she gets back with that ass-wipe she deserves everything that comes her way.

    • Yup. It “can” happen to anyone, but it’s more likely to happen to promiscuous girls with tats and a ghetto ‘tude, dating a rapper with anger management issues. Nice Jewish girls dating accountants? Not so much.

      • I don’t know about that. That almost sounds like you’re implying that Rihanna should have known that Chris Brown would abuse her. I don’t know if that was your intent but if it was, that’s just not fair.

      • No, heavens no. Nobody deserves to be beaten up, and while there are lots of warning signs, she’s really young and has been brought up not to know better.

        The reality is that some cultures are much more violent towards women than others (such as cultures that refer to women as “bitch” and “ho” routinely), place more emphasis on machismo than others, have much less investment in sexual fidelity and healthy relationships than others (neither of these two grew up with their own fathers) … if we want to protect people from domestic violence, we have to start talking about the real risk factors.

      • “brought up not to know better.”

        I’ll concede that point. Getting beat up by pussies isn’t normal family conversation at the dinner table. But having it happen should be lesson enough. If she is stupid enough to associate with that scum bag anymore she deserves to get smacked.

      • Exactly how do you know how Rihanna was brought up? Are you a personal friend of hers or of her family? Chris Brown actually DID grow up with a father in his home. Please explain exactly which ‘cultures’ are you referring to that have so many negative attributes? I, personally have seen men from all ‘cultures’ call women names that they shouldn’t, be unfaithful, and have macho attitudes.

      • How do you know how she was brought up? Are you a personal friend of hers or of her family? Chris Brown DID grow up with a father in his home. I, personally have seen men of all ‘cultures’ call women names they shouldn’t, be unfaithful, and have macho attitudes.

      • 1. Chris Brown is not a rapper.
        2. Tattoos = domestic violence?… okay…
        3. Being an accountant=perfection?
        4. Exactly what is a ‘Nice Jewish girl’?
        5. How do you know she’s promiscuous?

        Domestic violence, and violence in general happens on all economic levels, in all races and all professions.

      • Okay fuck wads! Lets not go around and around about whether a woman getting her ass smacked is acceptable or not (in what ever fucking culture). IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!!!!!!
        All of the following remarks to my original post have nothing to do with what I said! If you want to express a different point go the fuck ahead but do not do it at the tail end of my comment.
        ALL I SAID WAS, HE WAS A PUSSY AND SHE WOULD DESERVE WHAT EVER SHE GOT IF SHE WENT BACK TO THE FAG!!! CAN WE JUST ALL AGREE ON THAT AND GET ON WITH OUR LIVES?

  • she really is milking this whole getting bashed thing for all its worth.
    she wants attention, and she’s getting it.
    its terrible she got bashed and all,
    but now she should just hard the fuck up!

  • She may be getting all sorts of attention but bringing attention to the issue is what’s more important. By her getting out and talking about her story she is healing (and eventually “hardening” up.) She is paving the way for others to look at their relationships. She is leading the way for others to know its okay to talk about what happened to them.
    Keeping silent is not the answer for any problem in our lives, especially something that makes you question yourself, like in abuse.