Rihanna: Role Model No More?

March 4, 2009 — -- To some, Rihanna is a victim.

To others, in light of reports that she's back with Chris Brown after allegations that he beat and bruised her, she is something completely different.

"She's not sending the right message to kids," said Maggie, 15, a former Rihanna fan and sophomore at New York City's High School for Environmental Studies. "She's just retarded and I just hope she knows that I'm not going to listen to her ever again."

Maggie, who asked that her last name not be used, isn't the only teenager upset with the 21-year-old pop superstar, who reportedly reconciled with Brown, 19, at Sean "Diddy" Combs' Miami Beach mansion this weekend after their reported Feb. 8 altercation.

"She's making it seem like it's OK to get hit by your boyfriend and get back together with him. She's a role model for kids. What is she thinking?" said Britteny Hughes, 17. "If they have to hit each other, they shouldn't be together."

Candice Hopkins, the director of loveisrespect.org, the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline, isn't surprised that teens are lashing out at Rihanna.

"Blaming the victim is a very common reaction," she said. "The most common reaction is, 'why does she stay? Why does she take that?' But the question should be, 'why would someone be abusive to their partner?' We have to reinforce that there is no behavior that justifies someone being violent with you."

"Her going back to him is not abnormal in terms of abusive teen relationships," Hopkins said. "You hear all the time, 'it'll never happen again.' But unless they both get the help that's needed, unfortunately it's more than likely that the situation will occur again."

Though they may be baffled by Rihanna's actions, teens aren't holding back on Brown, either.

"Now when I hear a Chris Brown song, I change the station," said Tazia Watson, 18. "I don't accept his apology. I don't even want to hear what he has to say."