Rihanna Speaks Out for the First Time.

Earlier this year, Rihanna became the center for a media spectacle after being attacked by then boyfriend Chris Brown and having pictures of her released. Brown has made several public appearances, “apologizing,” and defending himself. But Rihanna hadn’t made a peep, it was just continual speculation about whether it was her fault (!) or if they had gotten back together.
Well, Rihanna is speaking out now. She will be on the Today Show this Thursday, along with 20/20 this Friday and is featured in the December issue of Glamour. Some bits of her interviews have been released and she is putting forth the words of a confident, young woman that got the support she needed to deal with this painful and humiliating situation.

Speaking to “Good Morning America,” the singer will send the message, “This happened to me. … It can happen to anyone,” according to excerpts of the interview released on Tuesday (November 3).
Rihanna, 21, also reportedly tells Diane Sawyer that the attack by Brown was especially difficult because of how she felt about him before the incident occurred. “He was definitely my first big love,” she said in an interview that will continue on Friday night’s “20/20.”
The singer also opened up for the December issue of Glamour magazine, describing how she coped with the aftermath of the assault. “I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears,” she said in the Women of the Year issue, out on November 10. “That was the level of media chaos that happened the next day. It was like, ‘What, there are helicopters circling my house? There are 100 people in my cul-de-sac? What do you mean, I can’t go back home?’ “

She continues,

“But at some point you are there alone. It’s a lonely place to be — no one can understand,” she said. “The positive thing that has come out of my situation is that people can learn from that. I want to give as much insight as I can to young women, because I feel like I represent a voice that really isn’t heard. Now I can help speak for those women.“

Finally, she says the experience changed her and made her realize how powerful her actions are,

“You don’t realize how much your decisions affect people you don’t even know, like fans,” she told the magazine. And, if she could send a message to the millions of young women who look up to her, especially ones who might be in similar situations, Rihanna said it would be this: “Domestic violence is a big secret. No kid goes around and lets people know their parents fight. Teenage girls can’t tell their parents that their boyfriend beat them up. You don’t dare let your neighbor know that you fight. It’s one of the things we [women] will hide, because it’s embarrassing. My story was broadcast all over the world for people to see, and they have followed every step of my recovery.”

That’s right girl!
Related:
Oprah says “No,” to Chris Brown
On Chris Brown’s Public Apology
Black women’s bodies, voyeurism and Rihanna
Beyond Chris Brown and Rihanna: An interview with Elizabeth Mendez Berry
The media reminds us, famous women have no right to privacy.
Rihanna and Chris Brown might be getting back together, allegedly.