Rihanna on 20/20

11.23.2009

Recently, Rihanna granted her first interview since the dating abuse she endured at the hands of then boyfriend, Chris Brown. In the interview, she gave insight to the good times of her relationship, the night that “changed everything,” why she went back, and where she is in her recovery right now. While there are many critics who wish that she hadn’t waited so long to tell her story, I thought that Rihanna’s interview was honest, insightful and empowering.

In the interview, Rihanna stated that she grew up in a violent home. She shared about the violence that she witnessed towards her mother at the hands of her father, saying “domestic violence is not something that you want some one to know [about],” and that she “always used to say [she would] never date someone like [her] dad. Never…” Statistics show that young women who grow up witnessing domestic violence are more likely to be abused by a significant other, just as young men who grow up witnessing domestic violence are more likely to be abusers.

Later, Rihanna shed light on the barriers to leaving her relationship and how she finally made the decision to leave. As soon as the bruises faded, she began to question if she caused the abuse and what she could have done differently to prevent it. Ultimately, the feelings that she felt for Brown enticed her to go back. We know that Rihanna’s plight is not unusual; 8 out of 10 girls who have been physically abused in their dating relationships continue to date their abuser.

While Rihanna correctly cited many barriers and facts about dating abuse, I felt some of what she said provided misinformation about teen dating violence. During the interview, Rihanna stated that the abuse she endured before the Grammys was the only incident that occurred. The person conducting the interview pointed out that although the abuse in February of 2009 was the most documented; there were previous reports of violence in the relationship. Rihanna dismissed those other reports of violence because they weren’t as severe as the last one.

As many dating violence survivors know, abuse isn’t always physical; one in four teens report verbal, emotional sexual or physical abuse in their relationship. By implying that the other incidences of domestic violence weren’t as “severe,” she gave mixed signals and suggested that the other forms of abuse are not as serious as physical abuse.

Overall, I thought that this was a great interview. While I feel that viewers got more insight about teen dating violence, this was also a wonderful step for Rihanna’s recovery. Because dating violence is so taboo, I applaud that she stepped into the spotlight to shed light on this epidemic. I believe that she is no longer a victim but a true survivor and advocate for the cause.

As she said at the end of her interview, “I am strong….this happened to me… I didn’t cause this… and I will tell any girl who is going through domestic violence …don’t react out of love because love is so blind”.

What are you thoughts about the interview?

Peace, Love, and Happiness, Jil