Has Rihanna found love again, in a once hopeless place? Or is it just “Nobody’s Business?”
Reportedly, Rihanna has begun to date or casually see her former flame, Chris Brown, again in the past couple months. In September, he broke up with his stylist girlfriend, Karrueche Tran, to pursue a “friendship” with the “Diamonds” singer.
However, friendliness between the two jilted lovers was never hard to reciprocate. Not only did she sing on her “Birthday Cake” remix with him, but Rihanna stirred a media frenzy when she collaborated with Brown on “Nobody’s Business” for her new album that just dropped, Unapologetic.
Some could argue a friendship is fabricated to sell and interest buyers in the two records, but the trail does not end there. Although they have yet to confirm a relationship, instagram and twitter photos have indirectly hinted at reconciliation, especially one of Chris Brown shirtless and asleep on her bed.
It was on February 8th 2009 when Chris Brown and Rihanna left together from a Clive Davis pre-Grammy party. It was supposed to be a night of celebration and music, but it turned into a night of shock and pain. As Oprah points out in her interview with Rihanna, a heated argument escalated into a full on attack. The attack left Rihanna battered and bruised, and TMZ leaked the police report’s image, soon letting it spread all over the internet.
Rihanna would go on to tell Oprah: “I was hurt the most, nobody felt what I felt . . . it happened to me in front of the world, it was embarrassing, it was humiliating, it was hurtful . . . it’s not easy. I lost my best friend . . .everything I knew switched.”
Chris Brown was arrested for assault and pleaded guilty to the charges. As punishment, he served five years’ probation and 180 days of community service. But can the justice system’s verdict be the final judgment when the public refuses to let the past be the past?
Even though she was the victim, Rihanna saw two victims in their scenario. “It became a circus and I was protective . . . as angry as I was and hurt and betrayed, I just felt like he made that mistake because he needed help.”
As interviewed with the Huffington Post, psychologist Lisa Firestone commented on Chris’s behavior as seen in the media: “Obviously [talking about Rihanna is] a trigger for him. For whatever reason he feels threatened, that’s his perception of it. That’s making him react. With a child, when we label him as bad, we keep on expecting bad behavior and we end up getting it. Chris, whereas he’s not a child, behaves like that.”
Whether or not Chris is acting out, or the negative attention fuels a negative behavior, young adults seem to feel the most fiercely about this situation. Even though the relationship is private and people do not know them personally, opinions will always develop for various reasons.
In regards to the new relationship, Jay Tiernan, a junior, said: “Bad habits die hard; I don’t think things will change.”
When asked about the supposed “renewed” romance and the history of abuse in their relationship, Kelly Hanley, junior, said: “I think by doing so it is setting a bad example for others going through the same problem. Rihanna should be setting an example for young women showing them how to be strong and independent after dealing with such a problem. Violence in relationships are a huge struggle for people all over and by Rihanna starting a romance again with him after what happened is showing others that what had happen is OK. She should find someone who respects and gives her what she deserves as all women should.”
As Chris Brown embarks on his Carpe Diem Tour and Rihanna bathes in the glow of her recent Grammy nomination for “Where Have You Been”, should we focus more on their personal lives? Can we really just be bystanders?
Even if this news may seem trivial, the repercussions of an alleged relationship can crucially affect young women and men who look up to these singers. So what do you think, Franklin High? Should Rihanna and Chris Brown get back together?
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