Rihanna’s decision

Last year around election time, I wrote a column about the influence that celebrities have on society. The inspiration for my column was a public service announcement featuring stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Aniston and Halle Berry encouraging Americans to vote.

I thought they talked to their audience in a condescending way. 

In my column, I explained that I didn’t appreciate the tones of these celebrities, and I believed that their message was irrelevant because they weren’t qualified to tell me what to do on Election Day. Of course I voted – but it certainly wasn’t because they told me I should.

If Aniston starred in a public service announcement where she told a story of the time she sat home on Election Day and the wrong candidate won by only one vote and the world blew up as a result, then I might take her advice.

Celebrities have so much of an impact on their fans. I just wish they would use that power the right way.

Then I watched Diane Sawyer’s exclusive interview with Rihanna, and it appeared my wish had come true.

Rihanna opened up to Diane Sawyer on “20/20” last week. During the emotional interview, Rihanna explained that though she still loves Chris Brown – and even went back to him after he beat her – she believes that staying with him would be selfish. 

According to Rihanna, after she realized what an impact she had on her fans, she wasn’t comfortable sending them the message that a man who physically hurts a woman deserves another chance.

Rihanna told Sawyer, “When I realized that my selfish decision for love could result in some young girl getting killed, I could not be easy with that part. I couldn’t be held responsible for telling them (to) go back.”   

That statement struck me because it was the first time I had been truly impressed with a celebrity’s logic during an interview of that variety.

Rihanna had a life-altering, horrific experience, but acknowledges that she can turn it around and use it to help her fans who are suffering with domestic violence.

According to the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence, 1.3 million women are physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually in the United States.

Some of these victims contacted Rihanna and told her their stories.

Rihanna only went back to Brown one time before she left him for good, but during her interview, she mentioned that, on average, women go back to the men who assaulted them eight or nine times before they seek help or break off the relationship.

It’s disturbing that such a strong woman had to endure so much pain romantically and physically.

But Rihanna’s celebrity status makes her a role model, and she is aware that she has a responsibility to be selfless and mature. After watching that interview, I gained a lot of respect for Rihanna as an artist and as a woman.