Why Is Rihanna Expected to be a Feminist Icon?

Rihanna’s new song, “Russian Roulette,” was released two days ago, and it’s already been deemed too shocking for the sensitive ears of America’s youth. “What message do think it sends to the millions of girls who admire Rihanna as an artist?” asks Deborah Reber of Rihanna’s barbed-wire cover pic. Anna North of Jezebel wrote that “the song isn’t one I’d want my kids singing in the car, if I had kids or a car.” Despite the pearl-clutching, the main party that’s been offended by Rihanna’s dark relationship ballad is not The Children—the real concern is that Rihanna has somehow slighted the fully-grown feminist movement. How did a 21-year-old pop star get lifted to a place where she could let feminism down in the first place?

Read More “Why Is Rihanna Expected to be a Feminist Icon?” »