Rihanna Relaxes Restraining Order Against Chris Brown

It came as a shock to many when last month Rihanna relaxed her 2-year-old restraining order against former boyfriend Chris Brown, allowing him to physically be in contact with her, if they want. Now, in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, Rihanna discusses why she relaxed the restraining order, explaining that she doesn’t want Brown’s career to suffer.

“That’s my decision,” Rihanna told the magazine. “It doesn’t mean we’re gonna make up, or even talk again. It just means I didn’t want to object to the judge.”

While Rihanna may never desire a friendship or even small talk with Brown, she says that she didn’t want his things difficult for Brown and his career because of her restraining order.

“We don’t have to talk ever again in my life. I just didn’t want to make it more difficult for him professionally,” said the Bajan singer. “What he did was a personal thing — it had nothing to do with his career. Saying he has to be 100 feet away from me, he can’t perform at awards shows — that definitely made it difficult for him.”

Although Rihanna seems more comfortable discussing her 2009 assault from Brown, she explains to the magazine that in the beginning she played tough to hide the emotional scars from the incident.

“I put my guard up so hard … I didn’t want people to see me cry. I didn’t want people to feel bad for me,” said Rihanna. “It was a very vulnerable time in my life, and I refused to let that be the image. I wanted them to see me as, ‘I’m fine, I’m tough.’ I put that up until it felt real.”

What do you think Rihanna’s reasoning for relaxing her restraining order against Brown?

–nicholas robinson