Rihanna Talks About Post-Beating Media Blitz, "Humiliating" Photo
Nov. 3 2009, Published 3:46 p.m. ET
Getting beaten up by Chris Brown was horrible, but that was only the start of bad things for Rihanna: The Barbadian beauty said the aftermath of the incident -- which included waking up to helicopters flying overhead, reporters showing up at her home, and having her bruised, beaten police photo circulating the Internet -- was another beating she endured, after the fact.
The Pon De Replay singer, after keeping quiet for nine months, told Glamour magazine the altercation between her and Brown -- and events following -- have "taught her so much.”
The 21-year-old said: "I felt like I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears; 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?'"
Worse, she said, was a picture of her face -- showing the considerable damage in cuts and bruises -- that was leaked and circulated online following the the vicious Feb. 8 pounding she received at the hands of the Forever singer.
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"It was humiliating," she said. "That is not a photo you would show to anybody. I felt completely taken advantage of. I felt like people were making it into a fun topic on the Internet, and it’s my life. I was disappointed, especially when I found out the photo was allegedly leaked by two women.
The Disturbia singer has kept a low profile since the Feb. 8 incident, as it took her more than three months to step on a red carpet after the beating.
Brown was sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to do 180 days of community labor as a part of the plea deal he made in June for his assault, which took place in in Hancock Park, California. The restraining order issued to Brown orders to keep his distance from her for five years.
Rihanna's fourth album, Rated R, hits stores Nov. 23