By: Amanda Anderson-Niles
Rihanna’s risqué image is one of the reasons she’s been labeled as the black Madonna, but with a risqué image comes lots of criticism. With many slamming Rihanna because they feel she’s not a good role model to young girls, it’s always controversial when that criticism comes from her own peers.
Former Spice Girls singer Mel C claims her daughter loves Rihanna, but she won’t allow her to listen to the singer’s music or watch her music videos because she feels Rihanna is “too raunchy” for her daughter.
Mel C tells Radio Times:
“My five-year-old loves Rihanna. But she has no idea what her idol looks like because there’s little footage that I’m happy for her to see. It’s a shame that a talented, successful woman expresses herself in such an overtly sexual way.”
Mel then makes it clear that the same criticism can be said for other pop singers and she feels that nowadays too many of them are vulgar:
“It’s vulgar and narcissistic and I worry about how it affects girls.”
Ok so she’s being a parent but was this comment really necessary? Rihanna has every right to express herself as she sees fit.
Girl shut up. You were in a girl group that many felt was too controversial at the time. They even made a song about having sex and using condoms. So what did Sporty Spice think parents thought about her? Smh.
My point why do they think they were SAINTS!!!
Even without the videos, etc. her 5-year old shouldn’t be listening to Rihanna. Before she slams the artist, she needs to check her parenting skills. What’s up with all these has-beens suddenly renting glass houses?
She better be quiet before Rihanna gets on Twitter and drags her.
Who asked her though?
The million dollar question. LOL.
What kind of message does Rihanna send to girls? Let’s talk about the message Sporty Spice and all the women who think like her send to girls. The message is women should never be open with our sexuality because our sexuality is bad. That’s a messed up message to send to girls who will grow up to become women. Either way, it’s her right to keep Rihanna’s music from her kid. I don’t mind that, I get it. But women policing another woman’s body/sexuality/image is troublesome and counterproductive.
I’m so tired of other women slamming Rihanna for doing what she wants to do with her body. Are we trying to get equality for women or not?
Wake me when a man gets this much criticism for his sexuality. I’m sleep tho.
Never going to happen. lol
this!!!!
Rihanna has a way of making these washed up bishes get in their feelings.
And Rih remains unbothered as she wraps up recording her next platinum album. Next.
This is getting redundant. Rihanna is going to do what she wants to and she should because she’s an artist. The slut shaming is getting old.
I like Rihanna but I wouldn’t let my young daughter listen to her music or watch her videos until she was old enough to understand that Rihanna is just an entertainer and not a role model. But what I can’t get with is this public shaming other women keep throwing at her. It’s pathetic and unnecessary.
Someone who hasn’t been relevant since 2000 is hating. What’s new?
She’s entitled to her opinion but I do find it troublesome since she’s a woman publicly criticizing another woman for having a sexual image.
I don’t know when people became so sensitive. Music was raunchy when I was growing up….but my parents made sure I didn’t listen to it AND they kept me from watching music videos; and that’s all there was to it. It took an act of congress just to get them to buy me Word Up magazines just so that I could get the posters lol. But just because an artist’s content is inappropriate FOR CHILDREN does not make them inappropriate OVERALL. And any adult that can’t think for themselves and allow themselves to be negatively influenced by someone else needs to go back to the womb and try life again some other time…
Well said!!! Folks keep acting like Rihanna invented raunchy or something. Maybe the bigger question is why as black women, Rihanna and Beyonce are so heavily criticized, when Miley, Jesse Jay, Rita Ora, and a host of others have taken it above and far beyond with sexuality in their performances. I guess the black women forgot to stay in their pre-assigned lanes, huh!
Now that you mention it, I do think it’s because Beyoncé and Rihanna (and let’s add Nicki for the sake of this point) are both BLACK and ICONIC!!!!! I tried thinking back to what Black female artists have received as much (or more) notoriety in the past, annnnnnnd, I can’t really think of anyone. These folks will deal tho. They have to. *shrug*
Not trying to take up for anyone but Miley gets slammed all the time for being provactive and vulgar, and Jessie J in comparison to these other artists is very time, her raunchiest video to date is Bang Bang lol. As far as Rita Ora is concerned people have been saying she’s a Rihanna clone and how many times has she been called out for all of her “partners”? I’m just saying.
Not trying to take up for anyone but Miley gets slammed all the time for being provocative, and Rita Ora is always being compared to Rihanna and let’s not forget all the criticism she has had over her past “partners”. Jessie J is tamed in comparison to these other artists… her most risque video to date is Bang Bang lol
Thank you.
All of this!!!!!!
Girl bye.
Rihanna isn’t even that bad.
She should worry about her own career or lack thereof.
Mel C is talking like she was covered up when she was in the Spice Girls, she barely wore any clothing. Folk change when they start getting corporate checks….smh
I don’t get the hate Rihanna gets. Not every artist wants to be a role model and wholesome. Some just don’t give a f-ck and that’s why I love her.
I just came to say she looks flawless in this picture. Slay-Anna!
People forget Rhianna is an island girl and islanders have an appreciation for their sexuality, unlike Americans. Spice Girls sold sex! Younger women have a way of bringing out jealous behavior in older women who wish they had the courage to do their thing without judgment. Everybody has to be themselves and be individuals.
Rihanna’s success keeps washed up singers pressed.
Too many Mel’s in the Spice Girl lol but I don’t think Sporty Spice was wrong in making that statement. She’s not saying Rihanna is wrong for 20 yrs olds, she’s saying Rihanna is not appropiate for her 5 year old. She’s shielding her daughter from the images of Rihanna and that’s it. Isn’t that what a parent is supposed to do? Isn’t that what all you stans say when someone complains about their child listening and being influenced by an artist. Where are the parents, why aren’t they monitoring their children? That’s what she’s doing. She’s monitoring what her child does. She filters Rihanna. That’s called responsible parenting. My daughter is 16 months and she will not be listeinig to Rihanna at 5 years old. At 16 or 17, I could care less.
*Boom
Rihanna is a successful black artist and a beautiful woman, but I do understand this woman’s point. Today’s children are bombarded by overly sexual images from male AND female celebrities, the music,the movies, everything. The tv is watching the kids nowadays. Now people say, “she doesn’t make music for kids” or, “she isn’t responsible for anyone else”, but if you look at the demographic of those buying and listening to her music it’s TEENS AND PRETEENS! People have this sick idea in their mind that taking charge of your sexuality is sleeping with alot of women or oozing half naked raunchiness everywhere. Its not. If people love their fans so much they have to respect them alittle and not throw caution to the wind when it comes to how they are. Sorry, not sorry.
Your comment is so hypocritical and delusional. You’re a product of a misogynistic society, and you just like other uninformed people in this country are always forcing women to be role models, even when they don’t want to be. Feminism is about women having choices. Having the choice to not be a role model, having the choice to wear what we want and do what we want with our bodies, even sleep with whom we want or no one at all (taking charge of your sexuality). And lastly, you need to get out more. The good parents I know aren’t depending on celebrities to raise their children. Educate yourself.