Domestic violence groups criticize Rihanna's Oprah interview in ...

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Wednesday August 22, 2012 ? Rihanna?s tearful revelations to Oprah Winfrey, taped in Barbados and aired on ?Oprah?s Next Chapter? on Sunday, may have won the hearts of sympathetic fans and captivated others with a rare view of the Barbadian international recording star?s softer, more sensitive side.

But while Rihanna's candid disclosures about her private life were considered admirable by some, her opinions of Brown, considering the abuse she suffered at his hand over the Grammy weekend in 2009, have sparked fires of controversy.

The interview already has domestic violence groups and charities criticizing Rihanna's comments and claiming that they could serve to reduce the seriousness of abusive relationships.

Erin Pizzey, the founder of the Refuge in the United Kingdom, told Britain?s Independent newspaper: "This sends out a very dangerous message to teenagers that roller-coaster relationships with violence-prone personalities are edgy and exciting. They're not. The relationship is toxic and unhealthy. Both are in need of help and that is the message that young people should be receiving."

So what exactly did the ?You Da One? songstress say to provoke the proliferating outpourings of concern?

Reflecting on her relationship with Brown, after they had started dating as up-and-coming teen stars,?? she told Oprah: "I think he was the love of my life. He was my first love, and I see that he loved me the same way. We ran free, we ran wild. We were going at a really rapid pace that we forgot about ourselves as individuals. We needed something to completely shut that off. "

The couple split in the wake of Brown's assault, but Rihanna disclosed that the two are still friends.

"We've been working on our friendship again. We have maintained a very close friendship ever since the restraining order was dropped. ... We're very, very close friends," she said. "We built a trust again and that's it. We love each other and we probably always will, and that's not anything that we're going to try to change. It's not something you can shut off.?

Brown is now in another relationship while Rihanna remains unattached. Sometimes they have run-ins with one another, such as a highly publicized encounter at a party in France earlier this summer.

"Yes I did [see him],? she told Oprah. ?We went to a mutual friend's party on a yacht. It's awkward because I still love him ... my stomach drops, and I have to maintain this poker face and not let it get to the outer part of me. I have to maintain that and suppress it. When you don't understand those feelings you can make a lot of mistakes."

"I truly love him - the main thing for me is he's at peace," she explained. "I'm not at peace if he's not happy or he's still lonely. I care. It actually matters that he finds that peace."

The ?Talk That Talk? star explained during the interview that her anger for Brown was a mirror image of the feelings she held for her father. After she "repaired" her relationship with her dad she could then forgive Brown.

"I have forgiven [Brown]. It took me a long time. I was angry for a long time. I was resentful. I was dark. It was coming out in my music. It was coming out in my attitude. It was heavy," she said, explaining that she would push men away before she let go of all the negative events from her childhood, including watching the abusive relationship her father had toward her mother.

"I thought I hated Chris and I realized it was love that was tarnished. It looked like hate because it was ugly, it was angry, it was inflamed, it was tainted,? she said. "And the minute I let go of that, I started living again."

Rihanna says Brown "made a mistake" and "needed help." She also admitted that she had "felt protective" of Brown following the 2009 beating. "I lost my best friend. Like, everything I knew switched - switched overnight," she said.

Three years after Rihanna was beaten by then-boyfriend Chris Brown, the singer says she still "truly" loves him.

She stressed that she is still concerned about Brown's welfare. "I truly love him," she said. ?And the main thing for me is that he is at peace. I'm not at peace if he is unhappy or he is still lonely. I care. It actually matters that he finds peace." Click here?to receive?free news bulletins via email from Caribbean360. (View sample)

Source: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/barbados_news/608719.html

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