RIHANNA JUST SHOT A MAN DOWN!

R&B sexy singer Rihanna  has defended a controversial music video that shows her gunning down a man, saying it is a message of empowerment for girls. "Man Down" features Rihanna shooting a an awful mistake of a man who appears in the music video to have sexually assaulted her a day earlier. The Parents Television Council, the Enough is Enough campaign and think tank Industry Ears, have attacked the video as an act of calculated murder that will encourage young women to turn to violence. there are so so so many movies and video games, and other visual artistic forms of violence shown in videos, and i believe society knows a visual story when they see it, just like any large group of people, YES! there is gonna be an idiot that's gonna say, "Rihanna told me to shoot my man" but then its really, how long can we say the media really influences people? i saw "Kick-ass" and didn't start jumping off of buildings, i saw x-men and didn't try and attack the pentagon, relax America! let people express!

Rihanna told Black Entertainment Television (BET) on Thursday that "Man Down" addresses the topic of rape. The 23 year-old singer was the victim of a violent 2009 physical attack by then boyfriend singer Chris Brown. "Rape is happening all over the world and we continue to cover it up and pretend it doesn't happen,"Rihanna told BET in an interview. "Girls are empowered by this ... I'm just really impressed that my fans get it," she said. "That was really important to me. This is a story for them."She also told BET, which itself drew criticism for airing the video, that the girl she depicts is "not a cold-blooded killer" and she shows remorse about the killing. "I didn't do it to make a controversial video," Rihanna said. "I wanted to make a mini-movie, something raw and artistic."

Rihanna has also defended the video on Twitter. "The music industry isn't exactly Parents R Us! We have the freedom to make art, LET US! Its your job to make sure they don't turn out like US,"

The Barbados native also spoke of double standards that allow depictions of women being exploited in music videos. "Now a woman flips the coin & look!" she wrote.

"Man Down", the latest single from Rihanna's album "Loud", was released last week.