Chris Brown & Rihana

This clipping (taken from Rolling Stone issue #1175 (January 31st, 2013)) was particularly interesting to me due to the large-scale media coverage that Chris Brown and Rihanna’s relationship has gotten. In 2009 it was exposed that Brown has viciously beat Rihanna, leaving her in visibly rough shape.

Rolling Stone’s word choice, “…watched the Lakers beat the Knicks…” is something to take note of. While the photo depicts a seemingly reunited Rihanna and Brown enjoying the game together, the choice of the word “beating” brings the readers back to 2009, reminding them of what Brown has done and is capable of. While the photo depicts a happy couple, I, as a reader, was immediately drawn to this because of just how atrocious a state Brown had left Rihanna in. Is Rolling Stone trying to remind the reader of Brown’s past transgressions? Are they looking for a cheap joke in the celebrity news/sighting section? The authors at Rolling Stone have their finger on the pulse of pop-culture and news, so of course they need to have one of these viewpoints in mind.

 I was also reminded of Kevin Smith’s quip in “This Film Is Not Yet Rated” where he spoke about how violence against women is too often used as a story point in today’s world, and I find this to be an example of that.