Rihanna’s Right To Privacy?
The latest in the Rihanna/Chris Brown saga comes from the folks at TMZ getting a hold of a picture of Rihanna, allegedly after Chris Brown assaulted her. When I saw it splashed all over the Internet last night I clicked on it out of sheer curiosity to see why the recent hullabaloo had developed. I immediately regretted it.
If this is an accurate picture of what happened to Rihanna, she is truly a victim. Not just at the hands of Chris Brown. But at the hands of the media who have splashed her unfortunate circumstance all over the Internet. At the time of this post, the TMZ link comes up as the 9th entry on the first page of a Google search for “Rihanna.”
Gawker posted it on the front page, not allowing visitors to decide if they wanted to see the image or not.
However, Gawker Media Network-owned Jezebel.com, chose to not publish the photo. Instead they started a discussion, posing the question: “is posting such a photo exploitative or educational? (Is it both?).” The discussions that started on the comment pages are worth taking a look at.
I think there’s something to be said for celebrities, actors and musicians making their life from the fascination the public has with their lives. And to some degree I think certain celebrities use the drama of their personal lives (whether real or fabricated) as currency.
But this is a woman who has clearly faced violence. I have very mixed feelings about the public-ness of her situation. Yes, she could serve as an example for battered woman and draw attention to the terrible problem that is so often ignored. However, shouldn’t she also have the same confidentiality offered by domestic abuse shelters and crisis centers? It should be her right to share, not her right to comment on what has already been spread through the media.
***Note: I’m not linking to any of the sites, except for the Jezebel post. It should be your choice to see the image, and so many of the sites still have the picture splashed on the front page.