Rihanna doesn't need us to protect her from Chris Brown

Rihanna has given possibly the most straightforward statement she has ever made about anything in a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine. Confirming her relationship is back on with RnB star Chris Brown, she told the world that ‘if it’s a mistake, it’s my mistake’. And if nothing else, in this world of whining ‘it’s not my fault, I couldn’t help it, please like me regardless of what I do, I’m so screwed up’ starlets, you’ve got to applaud her for that. Taking responsibility for your own decisions is lesson one in becoming a grown woman, and frankly, there aren’t enough of them about as far as modern celebrities are concerned.
In 2009 Brown was convicted of assaulting Rihanna during phase one of their very complicated relationship. They were on their way to the Grammys, but neither made it, and pictures of Rihanna’s sore, swollen face shocked many people, myself included. She immediately became a poster girl for fighting domestic abuse. It was not a role she herself was particularly up for playing. In fact, she seems remarkably uninterested in participating in any of the rules of modern stardom – having much more in common with Elizabeth Taylor, with her defiant hedonism, endless beach holidays, buxom intoxication and general brash bling waving. Middle class people hate it, and for that alone, you’ve got to love her.
Since the assault everyone has, understandably, had something to say about their break up and subsequent flirtatious make up sessions, conducted semi-publicly via Twitter hints and moody Instagram shots of their various body parts intertwined, cryptic tattoos and quite a lot of weed. Feminist columnists and commentators have urged Rihanna through the press to stay away from him, expressing remote yet heartfelt concern for her wellbeing. Funnily enough, their warnings have gone unheeded. And now, it’s officially back on. Well, why should we care?
Perhaps you don’t. Good for you. Stop reading this article. But for many, Rihanna is an interesting subject for discussion: she is one of the best selling singers in the world, and you only have to witness thousands of 11-year-old girls at one of her concerts singing along with her as she croons, ‘he knows I’m unfaithful’ to see that the influence she wields has a dark side. She seems especially partial to gun tattoos, dirty dancing, rum and light bondage. When she performed on the X-Factor, there were a record number of complaints about the violent sexual imagery, and yet this washes over her fans – they absorb it, internalise it, adapt to it and move on. So, does she, as some have insisted, have a responsibility to her young fans to set an example and stay away from the man who hit her?