Should celebrities be considered role models? We all remember the infamous night in 2009 when recording artist Chris Brown turned himself in to the Los Angeles Police Department for physically assaulting girlfriend Rihanna.

The other shoe dropped when TMZ released Rihanna’s bruised-and swollen-face photo. It was pretty safe to assume these two would never get back together.

After the incident, Rihanna recovered from her wounds, trying to avoid media attention while Brown went on any TV channel that would have him so he could explain his side of the story. It didn’t matter what he said; the public still hated him. Young girls and victims of domestic abuse learned from Rihanna: get away and cut ties with their abuser.

Tyra Banks, Oprah and abuse counselors ultimately felt something good could come from this incident. But I smelled something different brewing when I tuned into the Oprah Winfrey Network and saw RiRi having some comfy couch time with O. After some chitchat, Oprah positioned herself upright, looked right at RiRi and asked the question that was on all of our minds: “Where did you get those shoes?” Yeah, I know. Oprah scores an interview with a chart-topping pop star and she wants to know about shoes.

Well anyway, after some more chitchat she finally asks about Chris Brown. “He was my first love. I will always love him,” Rihanna states unapologetically.

“Oh God, please no!” I thought along with the rest of the National Enquirer subscribers. At this point they weren’t officially together, but like I said, something was brewing. Something bad like my vegan roommate’s cooking.

Flash-forward to 2012 as the world watched in disgust as Rihanna reunited with Chris Brown. Paparazzi photos circulated of the pair sitting courtside at Lakers games, cuddling at nightclubs and showing off their marijuana smoking abilities. I feared what many media outlets were reporting months earlier: North Korea’s nuclear threats, rising gas prices and the inevitable get-back-together of R&B superstars Chris Brown and Rihanna. I had reason to be alarmed.

Rihanna responded to the public’s unease around the reunion by saying that she is not a role model. She made it clear that all she wants to do is make music, party and get high. How does a public superstar release songs with themes of sex, self-empowerment and bondage, and expect people to listen to her songs and not take the lyrics to heart. Her reunion with Brown goes against everything we would expect from her strong-willed persona. By reuniting, she has set an example for many girls. She taught them it’s OK to go back to your abuser if he apologizes and does community service, raking leaves with his entourage.

This is not the example a public figure should set. Rihanna should have said that violence in a relationship is a deal breaker.

For Rihanna to not be considered a role model simply cannot work. She is a public figure with a business. She makes music, goes on tour and wants her fans to pay to see her. We see her in magazines, in movies and hear her on the radio. Should we not want to strive for her level of success?

Do people not want to be like her so we can have what she has? She is a role model, successful and living the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Young girls shouldn’t think the road to success involves domestic violence or any kind of violence.