Best Couple Award goes to Rihanna and Chris Brown

Chris Brown and Rihanna have undoubtedly been the most infamous couple to tarnish the pages of tabloids over the past 4 years. Rihanna, a Barbadian born and raised beauty, before Chris got to her that is, had catapulted to fame and glory after penetrating the music industry. Unfortunately, she soon became one of the worst recorded cases of being consumed by the industry. Being from the Caribbean, I'd like to think that shame is something inbred in our regional culture but Rihanna was apparently on the short end of that receiving stick.

The notorious incident took place on February 8th, 2009, mere hours before they were scheduled to appear at the Grammy Awards. How appropriate that such barbaric behavior took place just hours shy of music's most prestigious event. True class this Chris Brown embodied. It was reported that Brown "punched, bloodied and threatened to kill" his girlfriend (Chris Brown Charged…). The beat-down occurred after an enraged Rihanna tossed the keys to Brown's Lamborghini out the window (Chris Brown and Rihanna…). As every gentleman would, Brown naturally threw fists at the pop princess to the point of unconsciousness. The images that later surfaced of Rihanna were barely distinguishable from roadkill. It was safe to say that with every slap Brown knocked an ounce of beauty away. It goes without saying that Hollywood was flabbergasted.

Funny enough, Brown has been quoted to say "I used to always feel the hate for anybody that disrespected a lady" as he had grown up around an abusive family (Chris Brown and Rihanna…). Well, the apple fell at the foot of the tree and fear not Brown, because the world unites on hating you for this.

What came after was another shock to the music industry! One would think that distance is required after a situation such as this. Rihanna, showing her total disregard to moral tradition and ethics begged to differ. Showing her true dedication and undying obsession with this abusive animal, she allowed him back into her life. Yes, they got back together.

In 2012 Rihanna was rated by Time and Forbes magazines as among the world and celebrity arena's most powerful people (Despite Previous Beating…). How powerful was she when getting the wind knocked out of her though? Clearly not powerful enough to stay away from what was bad for her. A mere three days after his last tussle with another celebrity, Rihanna, in an interview with Oprah, stated "we don't have those types of arguments anymore. We talk. We value each other. I wouldn't have gone this far if I thought that his messing up again was a possibility” (Despite Previous Beating…).

What then should young women take from this? Should they accept that being battered and belittled by the man you love is a casual offense and is forgivable? Should women be taught to "roll with the punches"?, pun intended. It is safe to say that this couple is less respected both together and individually. We can at least be grateful that these feverishly flawed individuals won't be polluting the gene pool as they have thankfully found each other. Best of luck to them as the world expects and awaits round two.

Works Cited: • Goldstein, Melissa. "Chris Brown and Rihanna: The Whole Story." SPIN. N.p., 2009. Web. 05 Mar. 2013. • Serjeant, Jill. "Despite Previous Beating, Rihanna Back With Chris Brown." Reuters. N.p., 2013. Web. 05 Mar. 2013 • Lee, Ken. "Chris Brown Charged with Two Felonies in Rihanna Beating." PEOPLE.com. N.p., 05 Mar. 2009. Web. 05 Mar. 2013.