Rihanna speaks out in Glamour's December issue.
2009 wasn't exactly the best year of Rihanna's life, but she's ending things on a high note: Glamour has named the singer one of their 2009 Women of the Year -- and now she's speaking out to the mag for the first time about the Chris Brown incident and the message she wants to send out to young women everywhere.
Rihanna Speaks Out in Glamour
"It taught me so much," she says of being assaulted by her ex-boyfriend and the aftermath that followed. "I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears. That was the level of media chaos that happened the next day. It was like, What, there are helicopters circling my house? There are 100 people in my cul-de-sac? What do you mean, I can't go back home?"
Making the media circus even worse was the fact that photos of her badly bruised face circulated on the Internet.
"That is not a photo you would show to anybody," she says. "I felt completely taken advantage of. I felt like people were making it into a fun topic on the Internet, and it's my life. I was disappointed, especially when I found out the photo was [supposedly leaked by] two women."
When Rihanna's not busy entertaining her fans, she provides educational, social, and medical support to children in need through her Believe Foundation.
So how did she cope?
"My friends and family have been extremely supportive, and everyone has been there for me," she shares. "But at some point you are there alone. It's a lonely place to be -- no one can understand. That's when you get close to God."
As a result, Rihanna insists she "stronger, wiser, and more aware. You don't realize how much your decisions affect people you don't even know, like fans."
That's why she's decided it's so important for her to open up about what happened on that awful February night.
"I want to give as much insight as I can to young women ... to help speak for them," she notes. "My story was broadcast all over the world for people to see, and they have followed every step of my recovery. The positive thing that has come out of my situation is that people can learn from that. Domestic violence is a big secret. I want to give as much insight as I can to young women, because I feel like I represent a voice that really isn't heard. Now I can help speak for those women."
She also went back into the studio and poured her heart and soul into a new album, Rated R, which drops November 23.
"I've put everything I've wanted to say for the past eight months into my music," she reveals. "[My new album] is super fearless -- which is exactly how I feel right now. I am in a really good place."
Rihanna simply shines in a strapless Balmain dress. Matthias Vriens-McGrath/Glamour
As for relationships, Rihanna isn't afraid to give romance another chance.
"I want to find love in the next 10 years," she asserts. "That will be pretty annoying if I am 31 and still have never been in love!"
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