For the last two weeks, Rihanna has turned into a national figure for more than just her music. The allegations that boyfriend Chris Brown assaulted Rihanna have brought the two stars into respective media whirlwinds. It only got worse on Thursday when pictures were leaked to TMZ that may have been of Rihanna, after the beating. As such, Rihanna finally released her first statement since the incident, breaking her silence – though she remained silent on the big issue.
Rihanna broke her silence only to reassure fans that she was doing fine, but kept her silence about Chris Brown himself. The statement read that Rihanna had no comment on the investigation “at the request of the authorities.”
In addition to investigating the alleged assault, LAPD authorities now also have to open an internal investigation on who leaked the photos. Privacy is very important in domestic abuse cases, which is why Brown has not been charged yet, and why Rihanna has still not named by police as Brown’s possible victim.
Much as Rihanna has not been named as the victim in question, no one will confirm that the leaked photos are of Rihanna. Some details match, like a tattoo on her shoulder, but police cannot say if it was her or not. The fact that the photos were posted by TMZ also raise a lot of doubt as to their accuracy.
Rihanna used her statement mainly to assure fans that she “remained strong” and appreciates all the support she has gotten in recent weeks. Rihanna had to do this yesterday on her 21’st birthday, with birthday bashes and future concerts canceled for the moment.
Rihanna is also the subject of various rumors that she still hasn’t let go of Chris Brown, even after this mess. Reports from the likes of Star Magazine say that Rihanna’s family wants her to leave Brown, and are deeply concerned and fearful that she hasn’t.
Rihanna has already become a symbol for battered and abused women in the last few weeks. Questions have started to rise over how positive or negative that could be.
The leaking of the photos, and Rihanna’s possible reluctance to leave Brown behind, could make this a negative effect on the domestic violence issue. But newfound awareness on the issue could still deliver a positive effect.
With Rihanna breaking her silence, just as Brown did in a statement last week, the next step would be for the two to actually comment on the incident itself. But as the investigation continues, the two may still be silent on that issue for some time, with only wild rumors and damaging leaks to do the talking for them.
Sources
MTV- “Rihanna Breaks Her Silence” www.mtv.com/news/articles/1605533/20090220/rihanna.jhtml
FOX News- “Rihanna Breaks Silence Over Alleged Domestic Abuse Incident” www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,497985,00.html
Eparsa- “Rihanna Still In Love With Chris Brown” www.eparsa.fr/world/index.php
