Rihanna Puts a Face on Domestic Violence

Since news broke about Chris Brown’s alleged physical confrontation with pop star sensation, Rihanna, both stars have been surrounded by media speculation and discussion.  Rumors have bitterly swarmed around both stars—ranging from Rihanna being a victim of domestic violence because she “gave Chris Brown an STD,” to Rihanna provoking a physical confrontation with Chris Brown by “hitting him first.”  While the public anxiously eats up whatever information the media has to offer, it is not hard to discern that Rihanna is more than an artist now; this is because she puts a face on the issue of domestic violence.  Specifically, Rihanna reflects a norm that has been proven in a host of national based studies—studies that seek to better understand who the victims of domestic violence are, as well as whom commonly perpetuates these forms of abuse against women.

The first factor that strongly links Rihanna to the abuse commonly perpetuated by domestic violence abusers is her age and race.  According to the Feminist Majority Foundation’s website, African-American women experience more domestic violence than White women, specifically within the 20-24 age range. Indicative of the statistics, Rihanna not only falls within the domestic violence victim age range, she also shares a similar ancestral heritage to those drastically affected by domestic violence.  According to Wikipedia.com, Rihanna was born and raised in Saint Michael, Barbados; her mother is originally Guyana and is black, while her father is of mixed ancestry.  Though Rihanna is not African-American per se, she is part of a family that shares a strong, African-based heritage; compounded by the fact that she is an American pop sensation, she is an intricate part of not only American-based mainstream culture, but embraced by many within the African-American community—including Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Mary J. Blige.

It is important to note that while Rihanna was not killed by this alleged assault, there are many Black women who are.  According to the Violence Policy Center, a national non-profit organization that conducts research on violence in the United States, while White women account for the largest number of women killed by males, African American women were killed at a rate nearly three times higher than White women (as cited by www.bet.com).  And while the alleged altercation that took place between Chris Brown and Rihanna did not involve a gun, the Violence Policy Center firmly contends that when African American women are killed as a consequence of domestic violence, they are often killed with a gun—often during the course of a heated argument with a male.  

With this statistical information in mind, it makes one wonder what would have happened if Chris Brown actually had a gun in the midst of this alleged dispute.  According to the article featured in the October, 1990 edition of Ebony Magazine entitled, “Why Some Men Batter Women:  Domestic Violence Is America’s Most Common Crime –and Why Some Women Take It,” while abusive men are found in all races and socioeconomic groups, most Black abusers are not only jealous, but tend to be insecure, and attempt to imitate the classic “street pimp,” playing a “mind game” with their victims by first showing a loving and warm side to sustain interest, then inflicting pain once the victims’ interest is captured (as cited by findarticles.com).   As stated by Dr. Nathan Hare, a clinical psychologist and sociologist in private practice in San Francisco:

… [Many] abusive men are [either]imitating their fathers or their mothers’ boyfriends …convinc[ing] themselves that women expect abuse.  These men see their manhood as their ability to control women who are out of control.  [Nonetheless], many male abusers have been victimized themselves.  Others are sociopaths, men who have no sense of right and wrong” (as cited by findarticles.com).

Though the author can only speculate as to what type of alleged abuser Chris Brown is, it is not difficult to ignore another similarity between the alleged perpetuator and victim within this dispute:  the fact that they were involved in an intra-racial relationship, or a relationship involving partners who share a similar economic and racial background.  According to the Violence Policy Center, Eighty-eight percent (1,593 out of 1,801) of the homicides--specifically where the race of the female victim and male offenders were known--were involved in an intra-racial relationship.  This statistic suggests that oftentimes, victims of domestic violence are often victimized by men who share a similar ancestral and economic heritage—a similar heritage that Chris Brown and Rihanna share.

Rihanna, like many victims of domestic violence, was also allegedly attacked by someone who not only knew her, but knew her in a way that can be considered far more intimate than a relationship she has ever had with a fan—not to mention with other celebrities.  According to the American Bar Association’s Commission on Domestic Violence, approximately 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are physically assaulted by an intimate partner in the United States.  Further, while 84% of spouse abuse victims were female, 86% of victims who were involved in dating-based partner abuse were female (as cited in American Bar Association’s Commission on Domestic Violence).  The latter statistic directly resembles Rihanna’s situation because both she and Chris Brown where in a date-based relationship—a relationship far more likely to be cemented in physical violence than a dysfunctional relationship that involves married couples.

While all these characteristics and more clearly places Rihanna in the company of other domestic victims, it is important that we not overlook this opportunity to fully discuss this issue.  This is because, while Rihanna puts a face on the issue of domestic violence and abuse, she is not the only victim of this heinous crime.   Though not a victim in the same sense as Rihanna, it is fair to say that Chris Brown is a victim, too.