Rihanna's new album - 'a deeply disturbing listen'

[Lottapianos]

Guardian review

I'm a sad git who listens to LBC so Im not exactly up to speed with the latest music but I do know about Rihanna's horrendous assault at the hands of Chris Brown a few years ago. According to this review, this assault forms the main theme of Rihanna's new album and some of the lyrics sound horrifying:

"I pray that love don't strike twice,"
"Your love hit me to the core, I was fine til you knocked me to the floor,"
"Dial 911 it's a critical emergency."

She actually duets with Brown on one of the songs on the album

I was always one of those who said that Rihanna didn't owe anybody anything and how she dealt with the assault was her own business, but I'm quite saddened and sickened by her today actually. I could just about begin to get my head around her decision to duet with him, but those lyrics really turn my stomach. I agree with the reviewer's theory that she is using her assault for commercial gain and it really stinks. Her fans are mostly young people and this sends the message that violent assault is trivial, even a joke, and something you can just 'get over' and move past and hey, even stay friends (or whatever) with your abuser. I don't think that's a message that should be out there. Awful

[FastidiaBlueberry]

Oh we're being told on Twitter that it's some kind of day of the dead tattoo or sth, nothing to do with DV at all, by some poltroon who feels personally invested in whitewashing Chris Brown's violence (he was a teenager, it was one fight and other minimising crap)

[ninah]

'a kiss with a fist is better than none' shocked me, though florence seems in charge of her own destiny

[thornrose]

I am saddened that woman are judging a victim of domestic violence. Just because someone is not dependant on their abusive partner and can easily access help does not make it easer to leave. And I'm intrigued to know what
"a normal situation" is in this context!
Domestic violence is complex and hard to understand unless you have been there. Many successful, intelligent, otherwise strong women have chosen to stay with/go back to abusive partners.

[AreYouADurtBirdOrALadyBird]

Are you plugging the website?

[dublinrose37]

I totally agree with Thornrose. I happen to work in the domestic violence area and see this all the time. The hold these men have over women is very powerful and doesn't end just because the relationship has.

I'm not going to judge her for getting back with him, I just hope she has some good people around her looking out for her and I hope that he has been working on his issues so this doesn't happen again.

What I do wonder is why she is flaunting the relationship so much? She must know the way people feel about this man and the worry people have, she got back with him, okay fair enough but she seems to be determined to stick two fingers up to the world. Is she trying to prove that all is rosy or is she being manipulated by the people supposed to be looking out for her?