Rihanna, Chris Brown Reunion Hurts Teen Domestic Abuse Cause
New reports revealed Wednesday, that Rihanna may have re-entered into a relationship with former boyfriend Chris Brown, who beat her and later publicly apologized. The rumors raise concern over the impact that the union might have on young teen’s views of domestic abuse.
According to the Chicago Tribune, 1 in 10 teens have suffered from domestic abuse in romantic relationships with females between the age of 16 and 24 experiencing the brunt of it.
In 2009 Rihanna reported that Brown pulled over the car they were driving in L.A. and beat her. She also told police that he attempted to choke her and said, “I’m going to kill you.” The singer said she lost consciousness during the incident and when she awoke, Brown had fled.
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After the incident, several young teens showed support for Chris Brown’s actions on MySpace. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Ariana Jackson, a sophomore in high school, suggested that the incident made some classmates more accepting of abuse.
"There was a girl at school this week with a scratch on her eye," Jackson said. "She was talking openly about her boyfriend hitting her, but she was smiling and saying it was funny."
Later in 2009 Rihanna came forward to speak out against domestic abuse. However in 2010 the newly made role model was questioned for her duet with Eminem is his chart hitting song, “Love the Way You Lie” which some said glorified abuse.
Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women told Daily Mail, “She may not intend to be glorifying it, but she is.”
Marjorie Gilberg, executive director of anti-violence group Break the Cycle, also explained the negative impacts. “The danger is that pop culture defines our social norms,” she told the AP.
Pictures of Rihanna after she reported the attack revealed the singer with a fat lip, swollen mouth, bloodied nose, and contusions on her forehead and on both sides of her face. If Rihanna returns to Brown now, she could potentially harm many others who are trying to beat domestic abuse.
“She comes to see him anytime she’s in L.A. They can’t get enough of each other. I don’t see it ending well,” a source told US Weekly magazine.
On Sunday, Rihanna posted angry remarks on her Twitter account. “U wanna be my main squeeze n****, don't ya?,” she said after a similar comment the condemned an unknown person for putting her in a bad place. Some time after, Brown tweeted on his account, “If the lights in the sky came crashing down, I still could find your love even in a crowd... But will u remember me?”
The day before, Chris Brown was reported out sporting a new tattoo of his current girlfriend Karrueche Tran. Now that rumors have surfaced that Brown and Rihanna are in a relationship, fans are wondering if Brown is cheating and with who.
“TheresNoReason to cheat, there never is. If you're not happy with the relationship then don't be a coward, just end it,” Rihanna posted today on her Twitter account. Brown’s rep has denied any form of cheating between Brown and Rihanna. “He and Rihanna are just friends," the rep told US Weekly.
However a source also told US Weekly that even Brown’s new girlfriend and aspiring model Karrueche Tran, is aware of Brown’s cheating. "Karrueche thinks Chris' studio is where most of the hookups have taken place,” the source said adding that she "won't give him up for a few discretions."
Some people expressed disappointment over Rihanna’s decisions. “Such a role model for young ladies…. NOT. You have to be a fool to go back to an abuser. She has the resources to get out and she goes running back again,” the user Spitting into the Wind wrote on ABC’s blog. “She could do so much for girls and women by taking a STAND for victims of abuse, yets she runs back to the man that beat her up.”
The blog also revealed the possible negative impacts that the news had on some users. “Next time he beats the beans out of her, people should just mind their own business. lol,” wrote NOFLYZONE2. Another user, Truth Teller wrote, “If she gets back together with him, then she will deserve the next beating because she is truly stupid.”
Although some argued that Rihanna had a right to her own personal life and that it was a personal matter, others argued that the situation had escalated far past that. The user SHELL517NJ, expressed concern that the situation was not something she could keep from her daughter.
“This isn’t something I’d like my 11 yr old daughter to have to see when she’s standing with me in the grocery check out line. Maybe Rhianna can’t see the situation for what it is, but I hope she does soon before something like this happens again,” she said.
