I suspect GQ will get a nice bump in sales for their January issue. A topless Rihanna graces the cover in nothing but a pair of itty bitty shorts. I didn’t think much about this until I saw the photos this morning on The Huffington Post and read how the Bajan singer just wants to move on from the incident with Chris Brown. But here’s my question to Rihanna: how do these pictures help?

Now I’m not a prude but I wonder why RiRi made this move. Is she trying to reclaim her power after the incident? Or is this about album sales? Whatever the reason, she’s getting people’s attention.And perhaps these photos will replace the troubling one released post beating in some people’s mind.  But I do wonder what young girls will think of this decision—especially those who may have suffered abuse themselves. Because to some Rihanna’s move may indeed equate taking off your clothes with taking back your power. We all know that are too many young sisters who aren’t famous who take it all off for dollars. Some are in search of fame but others do it to simply survive. And although they’re being exploited (or giving someone else permission to exploit them) many believe they hold the power. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Of course I’m not saying that Rihanna is responsible for how other young women think. But I am saying that she should recognize her role as an influencer. That is why she knew she couldn’t stay in the relationship with Brown after all.  People are watching just how she decides to move on and because they may not have many role models in their lives they’ll seek to copy her moves. Rihanna, all I’m asking is that you think about it.

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