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Celeb News: Rihanna is NOT a role model!
Member Since: 1/9/2009
Posts: 3,553
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Rihanna is NOT a role model!
On the Internet, we are being told right and left that Rihanna is a role model for young women, the glib assumption being that she automatically agreed to don that mantle the moment she decided she wanted to be a successful recording artist. An ABC News website report called ''Rihanna: Role Model No More?'' quotes a 15-year-old girl as saying that Rihanna is ''not sending the right message to kids.'' Fox News also labels her a role model and says she deserves to lose her career if she doesn't do all she can to put Brown behind bars. On Yahoo! Answers, someone recently posted the question ''What kind of role model is Rihanna to woman [sic] if she takes back Chris Brown?''
While we're all immersed in blame-the-victim thinking, let's take a step back in the direction of collective sanity and stipulate for the record that, yes, Rihanna is officially a terrible role model. Wait, let's rephrase that. Alex Rodriguez is a terrible role model. Rihanna is just a young woman who is completely unqualified to be a role model. We might become a more compassionate nation of pop culture gossips if we started considering the difference.
Maybe we could all take a minute off from clucking ''Don't do it, girl!'' alongside Oprah to ask ourselves what on earth made any of us think Rihanna was a role model in the first place. She is a singer — after all, only a singer — who became famous as a teenager because a couple of years ago, she sang one song in which she found new and interesting things to do to the word umbrella, and another (''Don't Stop the Music'') in which she expressed her desire to blow off steam by going to a club and hooking up with a stranger. There's nothing wrong with that. The songs are catchy and sexy, she performed them well, and people liked them, so she became a big success. Good for her! She lived the American Idol dream and didn't even have to stand before the judges and make that most creepily self-absorbed of all American Idol arguments — the one that goes, I deserve this more than the next guy just because I want it soooo much. That line of thinking, by the way, probably deserves to be inscribed on the tombstone of this decade as it limps toward its interment.
But role model? Have we lost our minds? If we really think that being famous now automatically qualifies you as someone whose example should be imitated and followed by young people, then that can only mean we now believe that fame in itself represents a form of moral superiority. Or perhaps we're all just looking for new ways to beat up Rihanna and get away with it.
Some stories make everyone feel dirty. I hope this one goes away soon.
SOURCE:http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20265494,00.html
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Member Since: 4/12/2007
Posts: 5,851
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I love Rihanna and I still support her wholeheartedly. Most adults that are criticizing Rihanna obviously forgot what it's like to be a 20-year old. When you're young and in love, you're really naive and you often think the person you're with is "the one." Even if Rihanna doesn't think Chris is the one, she probably thinks he has the capacity to change. What Oprah said about domestic abusers being repeat offenders is true, but Rihanna is young, foolish, and not jaded enough to know that yet, ok? Cut the girl some slack...she's already been physically abused, she doesn't need to be verbally abused too.
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Member Since: 11/8/2008
Posts: 1,014
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Quote:
Originally posted by bobbymfw
I love Rihanna and I still support her wholeheartedly. Most adults that are criticizing Rihanna obviously forgot what it's like to be a 20-year old. When you're young and in love, you're really naive and you often think the person you're with is "the one." Even if Rihanna doesn't think Chris is the one, she probably thinks he has the capacity to change. What Oprah said about domestic abusers being repeat offenders is true, but Rihanna is young, foolish, and not jaded enough to know that yet, ok? Cut the girl some slack...she's already been physically abused, she doesn't need to be verbally abused too.
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i agree...
i was a bit disapointed in her but i will always support her in whatever her decisions
Am I the only one sick of hearing about her personal life?
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Member Since: 12/12/2004
Posts: 17,160
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Uhh, she was never a role model. 
the hell? 
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 12/29/2003
Posts: 6,311
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Just because I am sick of all the focus on Rihanna being/not being a role model, I have found a post about Chris Brown and figured this should be included. I am sure this post could have been better but it is still probably one of the few looking at Chris Brown, compared to the many looking at Rihanna.
Quote:
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Originally posted by http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/user-post-chris-brown-is-not-a-role-model-425514/
Chris Brown is NOT a Role Model
by Manic Mommy, on Mon Mar 9, 2009 11:50am PDT
So all over the middle school my son attends is the whole Chris Brown beat down on Rihanna. Allegedly, Brown beat the holy crap out of his girlfriend, choked her until she nearly passed out, threatened her and then abandoned her when she pretended to call an assistant.
I cannot tell you what a pig that man is. Words cannot express what I think of Chris Brown. Or maybe they can.
Anyway, today I learned that Brown is up for a Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Award. And apparently, Nick, as the cable channel is known, hasn’t rescinded the award. In fact, when asked, a Nick spokesperson said, Brown “was nominated by kids several months ago, and the kids who vote will ultimately decide who wins in the category." Parents are, understandably, up in arms over this. They do not want a man who beat the heck out of a woman he supposedly “loves” to receive an award from children. They don’t feel he is a good role model for the children.
And I agree, as a role model this guy sucks. I do not want my son to grow up believing that beating the heck out of your girlfriend is acceptable. However, I also believe that as parents, we can’t depend on ANY celebrity to be a role model for our children. We don’t know those people. We have no idea what their morals are, what their upbringing was, we don’t know anything about them. And let’s be realistic. They are celebrities. They are rich. They are surrounded by people who give/get them anything they want. And usually they are young. Frequently, they are foolish. Or worse.
Now that doesn’t mean I excuse Brown. And it doesn’t make me like him. And it doesn’t make me think that he should get the award. Although truly I’d like to see the guy get the award and then have the presenter say “and as a special surprise we have fifty women waiting to get revenge on you for your beat down, Mr. Brown.”
What I do believe is that a parent can use the whole celebrity thing as learning lessons—mostly because we can’t change what a celebrity does. So the only thing we parents can do, is try to make lemonade out of the lemons. When Jamie Lynn Spears got pregnant, it was a perfect time to sit your kid down and explain that a condom wasn’t just a banana’s best pal. When Michael Phelps was shown on the internet smoking a bong, it was an opportunity to talk about drugs. And when Chris Brown allegedly beat Rihanna, it was an unfortunate opportunity to discuss domestic violence.
So here is my discussion. I’ll keep it short. Suffice to say the discussion with my son was much, much longer.
Rihanna does not know that a man who hits is not a man at all. He is a predator. She is prey. And when he keeps hitting her—and he will—one of two things are going to happen: a) if she is lucky, she’ll make it out alive; or b) she won’t be lucky.
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I am not saying Rihanna is a role model or ever was; however, I am saying that if you are going to explicitly criticize her for no longer being a role model, you should also explicitly criticize Chris Brown.
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Member Since: 8/3/2006
Posts: 33,524
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Quote:
Originally posted by Delicious
Uhh, she was never a role model.
the hell? |
OK!??!?!!!! But I forgot...when you're a young perfect superstar image...you have to be just that. 
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 2/21/2005
Posts: 21,684
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Quote:
Originally posted by Delicious
Uhh, she was never a role model.
the hell? |
She was a role model. Little girls (including you and Tierra) wanted to be like her.
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Member Since: 1/9/2009
Posts: 3,553
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She was never my role model. A lot of little girls used to look up to her and they still should because she didn't do anything wrong. I doubt she took Chris back because her people and Chris's people never confirmed it or released a public statement on it.
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Member Since: 12/12/2004
Posts: 17,160
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Quote:
Originally posted by Reeces
She was a role model. Little girls (including you and Tierra) wanted to be like her.
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& why would little girls look up to her?  Shes not even like Britney or Christina who pretended to be innocent & all disney ish at first ... from the start her tour outfits were skanky & she was singing songs like Unfaithful when she was like 17 soooo I dont get why anyone would consider her a role model. I really dont get the criticism about this.
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Member Since: 8/24/2008
Posts: 35,091
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People need to sit down. She ain't no damn role model. Chris on the other hand has actually proven to be a role model so this is only effects him. I just hope they both stay together and work things out and they become the biggest couple in the world. Chrianna FTW
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Member Since: 7/21/2007
Posts: 17,522
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Now Rihanna is a complete joke to me. I used to be a fan of her songs but now I think she is a complete tool. She has a lot of young fans who look up to her. But now her own music is a complete contradiction of her character.
I hope her next album has songs abouts forgiving an abusive, cheating boyfriend. Why not? She has plenty of songs about dumping your deadbeat boyfriend and being indepedent. Sure a song about getting a beatdown and calling it a loving relationship might not crack the Top40 but at least it will show how ****ing stupid she is.
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ATRL Administrator
Member Since: 5/2/2000
Posts: 2,844
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Let's face it, was there ever really a "Rihanna" anyway? Her music was pre-packaged, she came in to record vocals, she did what she was told, it was all shipped out to us, and we liked what we heard.
Anyone who ever looked up to Rihanna as a person was just being manipulated by her management. We only knew her public persona. None of us ever knew the real Robyn Fenty.
In the same way, Chris Brown's nice little public persona was just that. Nobody ever knew him either. So these clueless teen girls trying to defend Chris Brown don't even know who they're talking about.
It's time for both of them to just completely go away from public life for a while, if you ask me.
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Member Since: 12/12/2004
Posts: 17,160
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANYWAYS.
I dont know why ya'll complaining, UMBRELLA aka her signature song is exactly about whats going on. If ya'll wanna get technical about this -____-
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Member Since: 1/9/2009
Posts: 3,553
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I can't believe some dumb teenage girls are blaming Rihanna just becuase they're Chris Brown stans. The victim is never to blame in the case of domestic abuse.
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Member Since: 8/24/2008
Posts: 35,091
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Quote:
Originally posted by Love is Love
I can't believe some dumb teenage girls are blaming Rihanna just becuase they're Chris Brown stans. The victim is never to blame in the case of domestic abuse.
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Was t hat directed to me. Because I stan for both but I will defend Chris or Rihanna.
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Member Since: 2/22/2008
Posts: 46,108
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1st. Who cares about the "role model" **** anymore
2nd Rihanna was never one
3rd Who cares again 
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Member Since: 11/27/2008
Posts: 78,826
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Alright, first off, RIhanna is not perfect alright. Second she did not do a damn thing wrong. Third, I loved her music, I didn't say I liked her as a role model (well I'm a guy so it wouldn't make sense) and four, who the **** cares? Rihanna will make a big comeback and this incident will be nothing but a memory.
And for the record, I supported Britney through her struggles, I supported Miley and bashed all those lame haters, and now I'm supporting RiRi!
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Member Since: 12/16/2007
Posts: 7,191
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Quote:
Originally posted by Love is Love
She was never my role model. A lot of little girls used to look up to her and they still should because she didn't do anything wrong. I doubt she took Chris back because her people and Chris's people never confirmed it or released a public statement on it.
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Her dad confirmed it, he was being a lil media ***** saying how Rihanna is blocking out all this contact with her family and that they dont support her back with Chris.
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Member Since: 8/3/2006
Posts: 33,524
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Quote:
Originally posted by Delicious
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANYWAYS.
I dont know why ya'll complaining, UMBRELLA aka her signature song is exactly about whats going on. If ya'll wanna get technical about this -____-
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When the sun shine we shine TO-GETHER I told you I'll be here forever
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Member Since: 1/9/2009
Posts: 3,553
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Quote:
Originally posted by BEYONCESGiirl
Was t hat directed to me. Because I stan for both but I will defend Chris or Rihanna.
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Hell No. You cool lol. I was talking about this article I read on ew.com about girls in Boston blaming Rihanna.
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