Blog: The Celebrity Relationship You Should Care About

Four years ago Chris Brown was scheduled to perform at the 2009 Grammy’s.

His performance was cancelled.

Not due to an ankle injury or a sudden illness, but instead due to the fact that the night of his performance Chris Brown viciously attacked his girlfriend of the time, superstar Rihanna.

Chris Brown brutally beat up Rihanna, causing multiple bruises, cuts and swelling to her face.

The damage was so bad that Rihanna was taken to the hospital and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), after which this disturbing photo was leaked to entertainment news site TMZ. Brown turned himself into the LAPD and was afterwards released on a $50,000 bail. Six months later Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting Rihanna and was ordered to five years of supervised probation and six months of community service.

So why, four years later, on the very anniversary of the assault, is Rihanna lovingly resting her head on Chris Brown’s arm in the front row of the Grammy’s? Why, after being savagely beaten, is she back with the same man?

Rihanna was at first praised for standing up and turning in Brown, instead of hiding for weeks and letting the abuse slide. Rihanna had the courage to set an example for all abused women and let her voice be heard.

But now Rihanna is teaching her millions of fans a horrible lesson. By taking Brown back in 2012 she is showing her millions of teenage fans that domestic violence is acceptable and forgivable. I understand that RiRi didn’t ask to be a role model but by being in a public position like the one she is, she has millions of little girls looking up to her and wanting to be just like her.

Obviously the entire ordeal is terrible, but Rihanna should have taken the situation and become a spokeswoman for domestic abuse. Brown’s punishment should have been to go to high schools and discuss how wrong domestic violence is. Instead the incident was pushed under the rug and Brown got off with picking up trash off the highway.

What’s worse is that lately the music industry has allowed Brown back with open arms. This action, along with the the act of these two dating again is an insult to every woman who has ever been abused.

Our society needs to re-evaluate what we value in a person and celebrity. Just because a man is attractive, can sing and dance and has great record sales does not mean he can hit his girlfriend and get away with it.