Rihanna, Annie Lennox: Veteran Wants Pop Star to Speak Against Domestic Violence

Following the musical, and rumored romantic, reunion of former exes Rihanna and Chris Brown, rock icon Annie Lennox has urged Rihanna to use her celebrity to speak out against domestic violence, AOL Music reports. Ri was infamously assaulted at the hands of her then-boyfriend Brown on the eve of the 2009 Grammy Awards, but has since embraced her abuser -- releasing two controversial collaborations with him just last month.

"Here is a young woman who has been through domestic violence and she could become a tremendous spokesperson for that issue," singer-turned-political activist Lennox told The Guardian.

"But the choice is hers. It's not up to anybody else to do that. Of course if she did choose to do that it would be so f----ing powerful," the icon added.

Still, Lennox acknowledged Rihanna's right to live her life for herself ... not her public. "It's her personal right to choose it or not. We all have our issues and we have to deal with them in our own way," Annie said. In a 2011 interview with Vogue, Rihanna herself announced she had no intention of being a role model, saying, "See, people want me to be a role model just because of the life I lead ... Being a role model became more of my job than I wanted it to be. But no, I just want to make music. That's it."

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