He has a history of violence against women – yet fans are still eagerly queuing up for pictures with the singer. But are they the ones to blame?
It’s an intimate pose. One that almost feels as though it shouldn’t be seen by the public: a woman straddles a man on a chair, with her hand on his thigh. Meanwhile, his fingertips are pressed against her neck.
It’s just one of many viral photos of singer Chris Brown with his wide-ranging fan base, and while men have also been lining up to take (far less suggestive) photos with the star, the snaps garnering the most attention see women straddling and caressing the 36-year-old in overtly sexual poses. And it’s highlighting how severe the mental disconnect is for thousands when it comes to Brown; a man who was famously found guilty of beating his then-partner, Rihanna in 2009.
A five-year restraining order was also issued against Brown at the request of another ex, Karreuche Tran, in 2017.
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But none of this appears to matter, as the wave of fan photos coincide with Brown embarking on his latest sell-out arena tour (the Manchester dates for which also coincided with the singer being arrested in relation to another earlier assault charge, which sees him accused of smashing a bottle over someone’s head, something he denies). To get on the VIP list and score a meet-and-greet with the star? The Breezy Bowl XX Tour asks fans to fork out $1200 (£881).
Despite his history of domestic abuse being closely entwined with his two-decade career, it seems fans are also becoming more vocal than ever when it comes to defending their decision to stick by him.
When The Observer went to his Manchester opening night performance to ask fans why they decided to go to the controversial concert, one merely replied “f**k the haters”. Another responded: “It’s not like he’s killed anyone.” (In the replies, one person responded: “The bar is on the floor”.)
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Meanwhile, other ardent fans have taken to TikTok, with one writing: “Liking the art that someone produces has n0 correlation to the things they get up to in their personal life. If you can’t understand that and you’re desperate to push a narrative, then you really need to reevaluate what you do with your time.” Elsewhere, the #teambreezy tag, where fans share support and videos praising the star and his performances, has over 159,000 posts.
It’s a worrying state of mental disconnect – but it’s also not necessarily something we can simply blame the fans for. There are a multitude of reasons as to why people might choose to support someone like Brown, and there’s a conversation as old as time about people trying to separate ‘the art from the artist’. One in four women in England and Wales experience domestic abuse at some point in their lives, and on average, one woman is killed by an abusive partner or ex every five days. So statistically, given Brown’s immense popularity – and the size of the stadiums he’s filling – there’s a chance that someone who has experienced domestic abuse personally still listens to his music. And in a sense, that is their prerogative, it’s not up to us to tell anyone the right way to deal with their trauma.
Many of Brown’s supporters point towards his young age at the time of some of his alleged offences (he was 19 when he assaulted Rihanna, who he reunited with three years after the attack, for the duet Nobody’s Business). In 2015, Rihanna told Vanity Fair: “I don’t hate him. I will care about him until the day I die. We’re not friends, but it’s not like we’re enemies.”
“The message this sounds out is loud and clear: there’s no need for accountability if you’re talented”
Truthfully, the wider music industry (from record labels to the leading names within it) must also bear a bulk of the responsibility – facilitating Brown’s comeback following what should have been a career-ending assault. In the 16 years since, we have only seen Brown’s trajectory soar and him collaborating with the likes of Pitbull, Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber amongst others. The message this sends out is loud and clear: there’s no need for accountability if you’re talented.
And unfortunately it does not apply to Brown alone.
“Domestic abuse follows a predictable pattern, and, in this case, we’ve seen an ongoing string of allegations of violence against women as well as a widely reported guilty plea and sentence of assault,” Isabelle Younane, Head of External Affairs at Women’s Aid tells Cosmopolitan UK.
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“High-profile perpetrators that continue to hold a platform and receive public praise of this level sends a dangerous message that violence and abuse against women is acceptable. We need positive male role models to set a precedent and to help us in our work to end abuse.
“Watching a convicted domestic abuser continue to be platformed by the music industry and idolised by an arena of fans will be incredibly difficult for survivors of domestic abuse and could discourage them from seeking support.
“At Women’s Aid we work to educate and inform young people to recognise unhealthy behaviours and to challenge, rather than reinforce, the misogyny that underpins domestic abuse and violence against women and girls. It’s vital that we come together across society in solidarity with survivors to build a future where abuse and violence is no longer tolerated.”
Christopher Polk//Getty ImagesRihanna and Chris Brown briefly reunited after he pleaded guilty to assault charges
Brown’s ongoing popularity goes against the grain of the modern parlance of ‘cancel culture is getting out of hand’ which is regularly espoused on the internet. In reality, it is often those accused of far milder offences than what Brown was found guilty of in a court of law who take the biggest hit to their reputation. Often, they are women too.
Take Sabrina Carpenter, who just weeks ago was on the receiving end of days-worth of fiery debate and discourse for ‘setting feminism back’ with her new album cover. Meanwhile Rachel Zegler faced widespread trolling after she criticised the original Snow White fairytale
for being outdated while starring in the new live-action adaptation, and for having an openly pro-Palestine stance throughout promotion of the movie.
Regardless of widespread criticism against Brown on social media, his career appears impervious to ‘cancellation’ (he’s currently thought to be worth over $50 million and has 144 million followers on Instagram alone), showing the age-old trope of men failing upwards is here to stay.
Or perhaps Brown’s success is merely symbolic of wider ‘stan culture’, which has become turbocharged in more recent years – spurred on by the direct line that social media and meet-and-greets offer fans to their favourite performers. Brown’s willingness to engage with his most die-hard supporters (albeit for a significant price) on tour only calcifies their ongoing support, which feeds into this wider narrative of normalising and excusing his behaviour, and offering up endless scope for ‘comebacks’ – no matter the heinous allegations are levelled at him. It’s another sign of the gender double-standards at play and how for some, forgiving your favourite is easy. Even if it goes against everything you may stand for.
