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Rihanna breaks silence over Chris Brown assault

Domestic violence is often referred to as a “hidden” crime, because of the personal setting in which it occurs. Many victims of abuse are unknown to the police, or even to their own friends and family. Though this is becoming a more frequently discussed topic in the public domain, particularly within politics and the media, many victims are still unknown to the public eye. This becomes very different, however, when that victim is a celebrity.

Never has a case of domestic violence been quite so publicly played out as that of Rihanna and Chris Brown. Not only was Rihanna attacked by her boyfriend of the time, she had also had her injuries spread across the internet within a fortnight. Even now almost three years on, every detail of her recovery process has been scrutinised across the media.

Rihanna recently gave an interview with Oprah Winfrey, aired on the 19^th August that has seen her condemned widely by domestic violence charities. One charity went as far as to say she was “reducing savage attacks to the seriousness reserved for kiss-and-make-up stories in glossy magazines”. Another said she reflected the “sticking-plaster policies” in pop culture’s attitude towards abuse.

In the interview, Rihanna emotionally told Winfrey that she will “always love” Brown and declared that he was the one who needed help, saying “everybody’s gonna say he’s a monster without looking at the source, I was more concerned about him”. Rihanna’s comments were heavily criticised as playing a part in ‘normalizing’ domestic violence and sending a dangerous message to younger fans that roller-coaster relationships are edgy and exciting.

However Vivienne Hayes, the chief executive of the Women’s Resource Centre, has stated that Rihanna’s interview showed many of the complex characteristics of an abusive relationship. It is extremely common for those locked in this kind of relationships to blame themselves. However, her critics believe that Rihanna should be admitting that it was Brown’s choice to attack her, instead of shouldering the responsibility herself.

Brown has also been seen previously condemning domestic violence following a childhood of watching his mother being abused by her boyfriend.

What do you think, is Rihanna normalizing domestic violence in her comments about Brown’s abuse?