Rihanna is the cover girl for the December issue of Marie Claire UK. I’m totally meh on the photos just because of Rihanna’s fruity Raggedy Ann hair. It cheapens any high-fashion look… and Marie Claire is attempting to be “high fashion” with Rihanna. Instead, the shoot just looks budget and trashy, and I mostly blame the hair. Anyway, in the interview excerpts (courtesy of Bossip), Rihanna talks a lot about Chris Brown and the hard time that she went through after Chris beat the hell out of her. She also talks a little bit about her hot boyfriend Matt Kemp:
A year and a half after her terrible assault by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, Rihanna oozes confidence in a beautiful photoshoot. Striking a fierce pose with her hand on her hip and her smouldering gaze on the camera, she is a completely different person from the heartbroken young woman whose battered face appeared in police photos in February last year. But the memories of that night still linger in the 22-year-old’s mind, and she has finally opened up about how she felt during that dark period.
“God has a crazy way of working, and sometimes when stuff happens you feel like, ‘What did I do to deserve this? Why was it backfiring on me?’” she says in an emotional interview in the latest issue of UK Marie Claire. “I was very lost. I have to say I felt really confused. I hate talking about it but it was really crazy because I felt so out of touch with myself and when that happens.”
“It’s scary because nothing you say or do feels like it’s you,” Rihanna says through tears. “You just lose touch of everything that you love and everything that you would normally do; how you would dress or how you would say something. It just feels like it’s not coming from you. It’s just this one empty vase. I felt like an empty vessel.“
She has also revealed when she realised she needed to end the three-year relationship for good: “Eventually, I remember waking up one day and I knew I was over it,” she says in the new issue of UK Marie Claire. “One day. I remember I was in New York at the Trump Hotel and I woke up and I just knew I was over it. I needed that wake-up call in my life. I needed a turning point, and that’s what God was giving to me.”
Rihanna attracted plenty of criticism for her brief reconciliation with the No Air singer – currently completing his court-ordered community service – after the headline-making assault.
“All this terrible stuff they say to you, it breaks you down,” she says of that time. “[But] once you’re back on your feet – if you ever make it back on your feet – that’s the ultimate achievement.”
Now dating US baseball star Matt Kemp, Rihanna says she has now moved on and is happy again. “I feel like I smile for real this time. The smiles come from inside, and it exudes in everything I do. People feel my energy is different. When I smile they can tell that it’s pure bliss and not just a cover up.”
[From Marie Claire UK via Bossip]
I like how Rihanna says she “hates” talking about the Chris Brown situation even though she’s given several dozen interviews about it over the last year. I mean, I get it. She’s made her peace with the situation and she’s trying to educate about domestic violence, and she probably still gets a lot of questions about it. But I’d like her to start taking a pass on some of the questions at this point, you know? It’s begun to feel like she’s saying “Buy my album because I got beaten.”
Moving on, that is good for Rihanna about the Matt Kemp situation. He truly seems like a sweet guy, and I like how seemingly low-key they are together. They don’t do a lot of events as a couple, and they’re not pushing it in our faces. Now, do I see Rihanna and Matt together forever? No, not really. I think Rihanna still has some growing up to do.
UPDATE: For those of you freaking out and calling me names, let me clarify a point that I thought was obvious: Rihanna has only talked about the horrific abuse she suffered WHEN SHE’S PROMOTING HER ALBUMS. That is what bothers me. If she wants to be a spokeswoman for anti-domestic violence campaigns, good for her. If she wants to continue to speak out about the issue in general, good for her. My problem is that Rihanna does interviews in fashion magazines, trying to sell her craptastic music, and she spends the bulk of the interview rehashing the same stuff that she was saying in interviews a year ago. It feels – once again, TO ME – like she’s using the experience as a promotional tool, as a way to get added attention… because her music isn’t strong enough.
Marie Claire photos courtesy of Bossip.
thank goodness she extracted herself from that abusive situation…now….do something about that hair!!!
She definately needs to grow up and fix that gross crap on her head.
I don’t think she needs to stop talking about it. If one young woman (or man) finds her (or his) self-worth and walks away from an abuser because of her interviews…I can live with them. She’s dealing with a private pain in a public way, and that’s what this particular crime needs. So many people hide away, ashamed, blame themselves, and keep domestic violence hidden. She should stand up and speak any time she’s given a platform.
Should she say she “hates” it? That may be how she feels. She may hate it, but feel compelled to share that she got out, and someone else can too.
I’m not buying her album, but I think allowing her healing process to be public is shining some light on a dark closet where monsters hide.
I dont blame her for talking about it. Its probably the main thing the interviewer wants to talk about and really its what we all want to hear about (be honest). I do wish there were more bitchy quotes about how her music isnt as generic as katy perry and gagas(haha yeah right Riri).I like rhianna better when shes being a diva. Anyways, the hair is awful but the makeup is really good in this shoot. She looks so soft and demure. It goes along with the “buy my album because i got beaten” style
You know – i am not being nasty or anything but the Chris Brown issue is old news. Rihanna really needs to move on and get the hell over it.
There are tons of women that have been through this and have been strong enought to walk away and move on with their lives.
Rihanna plays the victim card all the time. It’s like our sympathy is her ticket to staying a celeb.
Okay – some of her music is good – but she can whine like a lost cat when she has the energy.
Edit – i would rahter buy a Chris Brown CD than a Rihanna CD – Purely because he sings better – nuff said
hope that she TOO learns to end/control her OWN abusiveness in relationships. SIGH
I don’t think she should stop talking about it at all. I don’t think she is playing the victim card. In that interview she isn’t talking about Chris and what he did to her, she is talking about herself and the process she went through to leave that violent situation. Since 1 in 4 women go through domestic violence it resonates. AND that she does something about her hair.
Pretty Tarheel – agree 110%. I think she’s saying she hates talking about it, because there is still shame associated with being a victim of this sort of violence, and probably hates that she’s the face of this issue now and constantly gets asked about it. mln – agree with you, too, that I don’t think she’s playing the victim card at all.
I’m not a big fan of her music but I’m a big fan of hers for being brave enough to work through this very private matter in a public way, with a lot of grace, to be a source of comfort and inspiration for other victims of domestic violence. Co-sign the idea that any time she can and is willing to talk about it, she does so.
If she doesn’t want to talk about it, she shouldn’t. There’s no law saying one must answer an interviewer’s questions. (Side note – it used to be rude to ask someone if they were pregnant. No longer, I guess.)
Regarding shame – I do NOT think being a DV victim or victim of any crime is shameful, but I do think people have a right to privacy.
she is so beautiful, her hair REALLY detracts from that. i try to imagine her just shaving that red off one day and having it super short.
EDIT: jc126 – agree if she doesn’t want to talk about it, she shouldn’t and shouldn’t feel like she has to. Definitely agree with that. Just mean that if she does decide to talk about it, it’s not a bad thing.
Totally agree with Pretty Tarheel & Atticus.
I don’t blame Rihanna for talking about Chris Brown. Many times there is a level of silence expected of a domestic violence situation and when you free yourself from that situation there comes a point where you want to talk. You hate talking about it and you wish you didn’t want to, but you do, you want to talk, because with each time you talk about it you break the silence your abuser imposed upon you and you take a little of your power back. I don’t know if this is the case with Rihanna. Like I said, I don’t know her. But if she wants to do an interview about her situation I won’t judge her for it. This situation may be old news for us, but it is likely something that Rihanna will struggle with for a long time to come, maybe for the rest of her life depending on what happened behind the scenes.
As for the idea that she is trying to garner sympathy to sell records, I think that’s pretty preposterous. Maybe I’m looking in all the wrong places, but I have not seen some overwhelming attitude of support for Rihanna, even from the start. I would say the opinions are divided 50/50. I see a lot of “you don’t know what she did to deserve it” and “she’s just talking for sympathy” and “Chris will eventually get back to what he deserves, because he’s great and he made this one tiny mistake!” I think her records sell because they’re catchy little earworms and appeal to a lot of people and I don’t see a need to belittle her in any way.
Ditto Pretty Tarheel, Atticus, & Kayla. I am a victim of DV & Kayla is spot on about breaking the abuser’s power through talking about you experience.
Get over it.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! She needs to stop – it’s done.
Now, I am not going to say she needs to stop all together. If she want to do talks or visit schools or help girls with a PSA – it’s her story and that would be great. When it comes to promoting her music and career she needs to move on. I agree and I am glad to hear you say it!
mln:
October 28th, 2010 at 9:12 am I don’t think she should stop talking about it at all. I don’t think she is playing the victim card. In that interview she isn’t talking about Chris and what he did to her, she is talking about herself and the process she went through to leave that violent situation. Since 1 in 4 women go through domestic violence it resonates. AND that she does something about her hair
===========
Well said.
Why must she have that hair?
She needs to put a sock in it & move on.
ugh i hate her claw nails. they always look gross. and fake.
the only reason she’s still talking about it is because the media blew it up and instead of hiding and hibernating like a victim she chose to shed light on the incident, which is brave of her as I’m sure this situation caused her a great deal of embaressment, grief and anxiety. It’s funny how people are reacting to it negatively because we are a voyeuristic society who analyzes every detail of celebs personal life, yet when it gets tooo real and too gritty we act like immature children who would rather live in a fake world than face the harshness of reality
I really, really don’t think it’s fair to expect her to stop talking about “it.”
She is 22 years old. I remember when I was 22, 3 years ago, I was immature…still am, I can’t imagine experiencing something like that in the public arena. Can you imagine the humiliation? That is one thing she echoes a lot, that she was very embarrassed. However, she talks about it when asked mostly, even though for a long time after the incident she kept quiet. She is still processing it, and she is asked about it, and I’m sure she still feels compelled to share some of the insights she developed because it is a relief. I am sure that ordeal, at her young age, is like a huge % of who she is internally right now and for a long time that will be the case. She IS getting over it, but you don’t get over something like that in a few years time, and I bet if there was a spotlight on most women who go through that kind of thing at that age they’d still be talking about it too. Lay off.
I don’t like her music, I don’t like her hair, but I like that she can be honest about what happened. It’s at the point though, where she should be helping out other women who are/ have been beaten and who don’t have the resources to help themselves. Then I would consider liking the hair.
She needs to get over it and disappear and take her lame forgettable music with her so real singers, that can do it without autotune and gimmicks, can get a chance. She’s just a whiny corporate product – what product is she shilling this week?
Ummmm, when are we going to hear Chris Brown talk about being a victim of domestic violence? I’m just saying. And before you all hate on me, let’s just say there’s a lot that didn’t come out to the public.
@notsure
I completely agree…there is so much to that situation that nobody has dared talk about for fear of sounding insensitive or as though they condone domestic violence.
Why does she only talk about it when promoting her albums? Celebrities usually only do magazine covers and interviews when there’s something to promote! It’s part of the deal, celebs have to do media to promote whatever they’re putting out whether it’s an album or a movie. So of course if she’s doing an interview, they’re going to ask her all the personal questions – and I for one don’t think there’s anything wrong with her answering them. Why should she say I’m not talking about it anymore, it’s not even that old, it’s obviously still on her mind. I think she’s handled it well.
I agree with Kaiser about the timing of her talks. It has only been when she’s promoting something.
She is a beautiful girl but the orange hair is tired now. Was shocking and different at first but time to move on.
@notsure, do we have an insider source in you? Because, if not, where do you get off making statements like that? And I’m sorry but there is a difference between a man fending off a woman’s attack and pummeling her until she passes out and wakes up looking like Pumpkinhead. I don’t see Riri coming off as self-righteous about it, probably because she knows she laid hands on him too [maybe] and she carries guilt with her for that–she reflects the complex nature of a person coping with domestic violence. Regardless of what she did, he beat the crap out of her, he abused his power over her physically, and comes off as a clueless, immature twit with no true sense of culpability every time he speaks/acts. Why so many people rush to his defense is beyond me, and I had an affection for him [he looks like what my little brother would look like if he were partly Black–just reminds me a lot of him] before he violently assaulted his girlfriend. But keep babying him, men are the REAL victims in these situations right?
Im glad she is talking about it. People who say forget it have never been beaten by someone they love. It NEVER goes away and we should never forget Chris Brown beat the crap out of her! IVE YET to HEAR HIM COME OUT AND APOLOGIZE FOR HIS BEHAVIOR. He made lame excuses and kind of said sorry on what YouTube? A real man would step up publicly, say he messed up badly and needs help. Obviously Chris Brown is an immature boy not a man. She seems to have matured since then. They were both young and obviously in bad relationship she probably would know better than to be in now.
She’s probably still not over it. I think it takes awhile to get over things like that. She gets a pass from me. Plus, I still like her music. At least, she’s not Beyonce or Katie Perry.
She needs to stop talking about it, this is the same girl who talked about hitting her brother in the face with a glass bottle like it was no big deal. I have a hard time feel sorry for her, there are plenty of reports of her being aggressive and violent with chris brown. Yes he never should have put him hands on her, but she should have taken responsiblity for her actions as well because there are a lot of reports that she has gotten physical with him multiple times, she’s no angel.
Her lips are amazing.
I never said what Chris did was right, I just wanted to know when we get to hear his side of the story?
Both of them are at fault, but this painting her as an innocent recipient is what is annoying. She wasn’t innocent. So he took it further than she did, and again, he should NOT have, but like Kaiser said, her using this to make money/promote herself is sickening. It trivializes the stories of people who truly are innocent of the abuse they receive.
When will we hear his side of the story? Never is my guess.
notsure… noone is innocent, but that shouldn’t make violence any more acceptable. Chris beat her up, I don’t care what they were arguing about or who started it. It should never get physical.
umm yea,, chris brown dont give a damn what she sayin anymore.. did yall hear the song “aint thinkin bout you”.. he is on a different planet with music, women, his career, and more women lol.. i think she a pretty good artist, and ima hugee chris brown fan.. and she gettin on my nerves talkin bout this old news.. no one cares anymore shawty.. chris brown album “F.A.M.E” goin be crazy!! lets go breezy!!! rihanna plz stop talkin bout this tryna promote yaself, let the music talk and the fans react pllzzz!! lol, TEAMBREEZY!!
i wish rihanna would actually move on…instead of attempting to make chris brown look bad every chance she gets…she’s a aggrivating, annoying lil brat that needs to grow up.
eu cred ca mai bine s-ar impaca cu chris pt ca chiar cred ca se potrivesc…………..