Rihanna: Recommending Child Pornography?
I’ve been off for a few days, but I couldn’t let another day pass without commenting on Rihanna’s interview with radio host Angie Martinez. A whole lot of stuff was said, but the paragraph below is what I take issue with:
On her nude photos leaking:
Which ones? The hot ones? They should be hot, they were for my boyfriend at the time. If you don’t send your boyfriend naked pictures then I feel bad for him. Trust me I was [freaked out], that was the worst thing that could possibly ever happen to me. I just feel like my privacy was taken before that and then when that came out I was like “Oh great! So, Now there is nothing they don’t know about my private life”. It was humiliating and embarrassing… – Rihanna
To Rihanna’s young fans:
DO NOT take her advice and send your boyfriend naked pictures of you. In most states, if you are under 18 and you send naked photos to your significant other, you can be charged with possession and sending child pornography. If you receive nude photos of someone under 18, you can be charged with possession of child pornography. These charges carry serious prison time. Whether you send a photo via cell phone or email, in most states this qualifies as distribution of child pornography.
I’m disappointed with the recklessness of Rihanna’s comment. Her statement did not seem to seriously take into account the numerous women who have taken nude photos (Vanessa Williams, Cameron Diaz) and/or have participated in sex videos (Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian, Pamela Anderson) that were ultimately made public and caused these women major embarrassment. For her to recommend sending nude pictures in one breath and then to later say she was embarrassed is pretty stupid.
When and if you decide to take a nude photo or participate in a sex video, you ought to know that the possibility that it’ll be leaked is very high. If you don’t care, then that’s on you. But I would never recommend anyone to send another person naked photos.
***There are already cases in the US where teens have been charged with possession and distribution of child pornography for doing exactly what Rihanna mentioned. Don’t let this happen to you.***
Feel free to leave your comments.
The full transcript to the Rihanna interview is here: http://www.champmag.com/?p=14784
Tags: Angie Martinez, boyfriend, Champ Mag, child pornography, Hot 97, naked pictures, nude photos, Rihanna
About the Author
Yasmin Shiraz is the President of Still Eye Rise Films, an independent production company which films educational and thought provoking documentaries that chronicle the lives, traumas and experiences of youth. Her first production, Can She Be Saved?, a documentary that examines violence among middle school girls, was an official selection of the 2009 Roxbury Film Festival and recently won a 2009 Indie Award of Merit from IndieFest.
Yasmin Shiraz is the Award winning Author of Retaliation a novel about a community’s response to youth violence. In 2009, it was selected as one of the top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers by the American Library Association. She is the author of The Blueprint for My Girls: How To Build A Life Full of Courage, Determination & Self Love (Simon and Schuster) and five other books. Her best selling “Blueprint” empowerment series is utilized as a self esteem, motivational, and educational tool at middle and high schools, after school programs, non-profit youth centers, as well as Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the country. 
2 Comments for Rihanna: Recommending Child Pornography?
November 28, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Not only that but those cell phones are in parents names usually. I’ve warned my kids that Dad could get in trouble for anything that their friends or SO send to their phone.
I’m so tired of actors, singers, etc being so irresponsible. I have no problem with them doing whatever they want, but why do they need to tell our kids that they should be doing it?
July 24, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Wow, I don’t even know what to say, Rihanna is my favorite singer and the statement she made was really dumb. I believe that Rihanna’s just trying to make it seem like it’s not bad so that she won’t look bad, but Rihanna could have said something different stateing the fact that there are young girls like I looking up to her as a role model…….