Public Opinion Not As Forgiving As Barbados Beauty

News that R&B stars Rihanna and Chris Brown have reconciled has caused much head-shaking and concern.

Whereas fans first expressed their support and best wishes for the battered "Umbrella" singer following the alleged incident on Feb. 8, the tide of public sympathy has seemingly turned against her in the wake of this latest news, according to an informal sampling of cyber chatter:

Writes one person: "Rihanna deserves everything she gets from here on out. She could have just stayed away and moved on to have a better life. Only goes to show, the girl has talent but she's got no dammed sense. Oh well, I feel no sympathy for her, she's like a bad Lifetime movie of the week."

Another comments: "Really?! Now I feel bad for the ones that needed her to be strong. I feel bad for her 12 year old fans that admire her. Not an easy position to be in, I know, but something you sign up for when you beg for fame."

And this one writes: "I love Rihanna, but what an idiot. Never mind what I said before to defend her. If she won't defend herself, then why should anyone else care. SOS, indeed."

Domestic violence experts say they were dismayed, but not surprised, to hear the pop beauty had given Brown another shot at romance after he allegedly beat her. "The reality is that when you're in an intimate relationship with anyone you tend to give people chances," says Manhattan psychologist Dr. Jane Greer to the New York Daily News. Yet they remained concerned what message this will send to the "Umbrella" singer's fans.

All of which begs the question: What will Rihanna do next?

Yes, her relationship with Brown is a personal matter but how she handles herself publicly will impact her career, because like it or not, she is a public figure. And with statistics that show 1 in 10 teens suffer abuse in romantic relationships, -- many who often think it's justified, what she does has the potential to help or harm that perception.

Initially, Rihanna was embraced by a clearly sympathetic public. Sales of her 2007 album, Good Girl Gone Bad, surged 33 percent. But, if even a portion of those who posted comments online keep their word that they're "done with Rihanna," she could see sales start to head south.

In a time when the music industry has embraced the "pimps up, hos down" image, the perception of Brown as a "thug" might actually give his pop image a boost, while Rihanna's apparent acceptance of Brown's actions is at odds with her "Good Girl, Gone Bad" brand and may end up costing her far more than in the end.

And Covergirl, which had stated plans to keep Rihanna on as its spokesperson, may now find themselves in an uncomfortable position of having to weigh their respect for her personal life against possible damage to their reputation. In this economy, any hint of a scandal may not be worth the potential loss of sales to continue using her to represent their line of "easy, breezy, beautiful" products.

But unfortunately, Rihanna appears to be more concerned about the impact of the fallout from the Grammy night incident on Brown's career than her own. Though she cooperated with authorities immediately after the alleged assault, she is reportedly torn about whether to file charges against him.

"I think it sends a really negative message that it's okay to remain in an abusive relationship and just to accept an apology and move on," says Greer.

According to TMZ, a decision should be made by the Los Angeles Country D.A. next week on whether to file criminal charges against him. The two most likely charges are reportedly making criminal threats and domestic violence. Making a case for criminal threat charges will be difficult as the only witnesses to Brown allegedly saying "I'm going to kill you" are the two of them. But given the police photo of Rihanna, it would be a tough call not to prosecute him for domestic violence.

Walking the line between private romance and public role model will be a delicate balancing act that Rihanna will need to navigate very carefully.

By Paige Muller