Rihanna "humiliated" by leaked photo after attack

Reuters November 4, 2009, 5:42 am

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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop singer Rihanna was named Woman of the Year by Glamour magazine on Tuesday after an attack at the hands of boyfriend Chris Brown that she said changed her life overnight.

"I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears. That was the level of media chaos that happened the next day," the 21 year-old singer said in her first interview since the assault in February.

The R&B singer told the December issue of Glamour magazine that she felt humiliated when a photo of her bruised and bloodied face was leaked to the media, but that she wanted to use the incident to alert young women to the "big secret" of abusive relationships.

"It was humiliating: that is not a photo you would show to anybody," she said. "I felt completely taken advantage of. I felt like people were making it into a fun topic on the Internet, and it's my life.

Brown, 20, was one of the fastest rising young R&B artists in the United States before his assault on his girlfriend of about a year on the eve of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

He was sentenced to five years probation and community service in August and has publicly apologized.

Rihanna, whose hits include "Umbrella" and "Disturbia" said the positive outcome of the story grabbing worldwide attention was that she could now speak up on behalf of young women in similar situations.

"Teenage girls can't tell their parents that their boyfriend beats them up...It's one of the things we (women) hide because it's embarrassing.

"I want to give as much insight as I can to young women because I feel like I represent a voice that isn't really heard. Now I can help speak for those women," she said.

Glamour editor-in-chief Cini Leive said the magazine had chosen Rihanna as its Woman of the Year because "in breaking her silence about what she calls the 'big secret' of domestic violence, she is sending an important message to young women that they too can move on, and succeed after personal challenges."

Was Rihanna was right to talk about her experience? Leave your comments below.

Rihanna, who is about to release a new album "Rated R", said she had "put everything I've wanted to say for the past eight months into my music", adding "it's super fearless -- which is exactly how I feel right now."

The album's first single, "Russian Roulette," finds her singing about a tumultuous relationship and ends with an ominous gunshot.

Rihanna has also recorded a TV interview, which is due to be aired on ABC's "Good Morning America" program on Thursday and Friday.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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Dain 04:42pm Wednesday 04th November 2009 EST Report Abuse
Face it, she's got the publicity whether she wants it or not, more power to her if she can A. make a bucket of cash from it, B. get some closure over the whole incident and C. promote awareness of domestic violence. Women can multi-task after all...
Tigeress 04:35pm Wednesday 04th November 2009 EST Report Abuse
How much do we really know about what happened the night of the abuse? We only know what the press have told us, yes, what Chris did was unforgivable, no man should hit a woman, but how much provication was there?? I find it a little sus that she speaks out now just as the release of her new album i ...
Charles 03:24pm Wednesday 04th November 2009 EST Report Abuse
Waiting for a special attractive lady who might be interested in contacting me with a view to forming a lasting relationship. Who knows what may happen when two people with the right vibes meet..
doctor.lewis 02:56pm Wednesday 04th November 2009 EST Report Abuse
When you see the sun , you know its daylight....it seems rather obvious that this is a mere publicity charade rather than a voice out for thr unspoken....also Chris Brown never got half of the proper sentence /punishment metted out to him. If he was some ordinary person, definitely he would be looki ...
Asunta 01:30pm Wednesday 04th November 2009 EST Report Abuse
Mentioning Britney Spears seems she wanted to show this goodie little two shoes profile and its not fare to talk about peoples past and reputations she has never walked in anybody's shoes but her own and i dont think Brown has gotten enough for his abuse to her especially with his status i ...
Libby 01:12pm Wednesday 04th November 2009 EST Report Abuse
I hope she isn't doing this for the media attention. The timing is a little fishy tho.
aki 12:17pm Wednesday 04th November 2009 EST Report Abuse
Domestic violence is a very serious issue that affects women worldwide regardless of their social status. Good on Rihana to finally break the silence and talk about it.
r2rr62 11:34am Wednesday 04th November 2009 EST Report Abuse
If she is using her situation to make a statement about domestic violence then this is a good thing. If she is just using it to get publicity and for her own benefit then it is not good. It is a thin line, and I am not completely convinced which side of the line she is on.