Rihanna is turning into a little powerhouse both through her music and style influence. Not only did she just nab her seventh Grammy Award, but her beauty collections have been quick sellouts. This year, the singer is using her influence for a good cause as MAC's spokesperson for its Viva Glam campaign to raise money for HIV/AIDS awareness and it's a role that Rih Rih isn't taking lightly.
"I'm now extending my role with MAC from creative partner to philanthropic partner with the Viva Glam campaign," she told Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. "It's an iconic campaign that has been around for a few years. Buying the lipstick really is the most important part of this. One hundred percent of every penny you spend on the lipstick or the lip gloss goes to the MAC AIDS Fund. Our goal is to raise $40 million — the Viva Glam Rihanna campaign. The MAC AIDS Fund will be donating $2 million to UN AIDS, which is a global organization that focuses on youth prevention of HIV and AIDS."
Rihanna went on to explain the importance of teaching our youth how to stay safe especially when they're still at a stage where they feel invincible.
"The youth is a little more naive to the realities of the disease and how big it really is, how much of an epidemic it really is — amongst young people specifically. HIV and AIDS have been around for as long as I've been alive and now more than half of the new infections are people under 24 years old and younger. So it's really scary. It's around," she said.
"The thing about MAC, as a brand, is that they really love and embrace. They don't judge. They're not here to say be perfect, as well as myself. I want you to have fun, but you have to be responsible. You have to be safe. Protect yourself. You have to look out for yourself because nobody else can do that for you. It's a real disease and if we can just protect ourselves, and be more responsible about it, I think that's important for young people."
It's great to have someone like Rihanna dish it like it is especially when our youth look up to her for cues. Regardless of whether she's a good role model or not or if she even wants the title, hopefully having someone like her telling them to protect themselves and be cautious will save lives down the line. To check out her lipstick collection, visit maccosmetics.com.
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 (Photo: 247PapsTV / Splash News)