Rihanna has risen to the top of the music industry after making her debut a decade ago, but the Barbados-born singer says a focus is still put on her race within the industry. During a recent interview with T: The New York Times Fashion Magazine, Rihanna spoke to Miranda July about her first experiences with race.
"You know, when I started to experience the difference — or even have my race be highlighted — it was mostly when I would do business deals...And, you know, that never ends, by the way. It's still a thing. And it's the thing that makes me want to prove people wrong. It almost excites me; I know what they're expecting and I can't wait to show them that I'm here to exceed those expectations."
She added, "But I have to bear in mind that those people are judging you because you're packaged a certain way — they've been programmed to think a black man in a hoodie means grab your purse a little tighter. For me, it comes down to smaller issues, scenarios in which people can assume something of me without knowing me, just by my packaging."
During the conversation Rihanna also spoke about Googling child birth often and why she's not ready to give attention to men right now, "Guys need attention. They need that nourishment, that little stroke of the ego that gets them by every now and then. I'll give it to my family, I'll give it to my work — but I will not give it to a man right now."
Source: The New York Times
