Rihanna was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world — and I don’t agree! Keep reading to find out why.
TIME Magazine has named Rihanna, the poster child of desperation and domestic abuse, one of 2012′s most influential people. While there’s no denying the 24-year-old pop star is extremely talented,
should we really be calling a woman who recently collaborated on two overly-sexual songs with the man who savagely beat her…
well, influential?
According to the publication’s own description, the annual Time 100 list is comprised of “the people who inspire us, entertain us, challenge us and change our world.” They are “breakouts, pioneers, moguls, leaders, and icons.”
It’s true, Rihanna did create a national dialogue about domestic abuse, but for the wrong reasons. She made it forgivable. People do make mistakes and even if Brown wasn’t thinking clearly when he bashed Rihanna’s face, resulting in injuries that police later described
as “horrific,” that’s not the kind of person any woman should want back in their life.
While Rihanna’s 17-million plus Twitter followers may relish reading the suggestive tweets
directed at her former flame, we need to recognize this sort of attention-grabbing, desperate behavior is not healthy.
Fashion designer, Stella McCartney, wrote Rihanna’s
blurb in the annual article explaining the “Birthday singer” is “one of the coolest, hottest, most talented, most liked, most listened to, most followed, most impressive artists at work today,” adding that she “goes out of her way to support the people she believes in.” That right there is the problem! Rihanna goes out of her way to not only support, but also command
the attention of the man that attacked her.
Rihanna is clearly a disturbed young woman and instead of encouraging her
to seek professional help, we buy her degrading collaborations and we bestow a title of influence.
Even more disturbing is the fact that Rihanna DOES have the power to be influential. Her
fans range from impressionable teenagers to well-adjusted adults. She’s interesting; she’s sassy; hell, she’s confident enough to eat dinner at a trendy soho restaurant all alone, but instead of using her fame as a platform to become a role model, Rihanna would rather post revealing photos and passive-agressive messages online.
Hopefully, Rihanna will recognize the honor of being named one of the world’s most influential people and use this as an opportunity to get her life together.
Do YOU think Rihanna deserves a spot on this year’s list?
Jennifer Kamm
