LONDON – The recent controversy over her allegedly “glamourising smoking” certainly isn’t changing Rihanna’s ways.
The 23-year-old singer lights up in new promotional pictures for her new single Talk That Talk.
Rihanna poses provocatively in a red, white and black outfit sitting on a sidewalk and smoking, before reclining on stairs with a cigarette hanging from her mouth.
The What’s My Name hitmaker also smokes in another shot, which sees her leaning against a wall in a bar and denim overalls.
The Ulster Cancer Foundation of Ireland, where Rihanna’s We Found Love music video was filmed, has slammed the singer for appearing to “glamourise smoking” in the video.
A spokesperson for the charity, Doreen Reegan, said this week: “Three-quarters of adult smokers start the habit as teenagers, which is why it is so irresponsible of Rihanna to influence her young fan base in this way.”
She added: “After so much hype around the filming of the video it was very disappointing to see Rihanna so blatantly smoking throughout it. Artists such as Rihanna are held in high esteem and regarded as role models by millions of young people.
“We are very concerned that young people watching the video will see smoking as glamorous and want to copy her behaviour.”Further, the Rape Crisis Centre has labelled Rihanna a “disgrace” for the raunchy video, which sees the singer being spanked by her real life boyfriend Dudley O’Shaughnessy, who also pens the word ‘mine’ on her behind.
Speaking to the Daily Star, a spokesperson for the centre said: “Rihanna’s new video is a disgrace. It sends the message that she is an object to be possessed by men, which is disturbingly what we see in real violence cases.”
Rihanna hasn’t been letting the controversy get to her, and in between shows for her European Loud tour, has defiantly continued to let her hair down. (Mail Online)
