We all know that Rihanna is basically a goddess who was sent down to earth to educate us mere mortals on how to live.
However, I don’t think that we’ve all heard her truth bomb on the perfect man yet.
Back in August 2012, Oprah interviewed Rihanna in her interview series "Oprah’s Next Chapter." That interview was particularly emotional as Rihanna opened up completely for the first time since her then-boyfriend Chris Brown violently attacked her during an argument. Rihanna admitted that the media coverage of the attack and the aftermath hurt her immensely. The world watching her relationship crumble over abuse was “humiliating,” but she still worried about protecting Chris Brown because she knew that he needed help and that the media would only depict him as a monster.
Lately, another segment of the interview has been circulating through social media. A video of Oprah and Rihanna driving around in a car through Rihanna’s old neighborhood in Barbados shows Rihanna telling Oprah exactly what she wants in a man. As always, Rihanna spits pure wisdom.
Here is everything that Rihanna says that she wants in a man:
“I know what I want. If I had it my way I would– I want a man that loves me, cherishes me, values me, but they have to know my values in order to value me.”
In order for a partner to truly value you, they must know what you value. Your partner cannot truly hold you nearest and dearest to their heart if they do not know what you hold nearest and dearest to yours. Your partner has to know that you are fiercely loyal to your family, that you are honest to a T, and that nothing will get in between you and your goals in order to really understand who you are as a person. If you’re really lucky, you’ll find someone who holds those same values in their heart as well.
“They have to know my worth and they can only know my worth if I know my worth.”
When you know your own worth, you respect yourself, love yourself, and know exactly how you deserve to be treated. Treating yourself as any less than you are shows other people that that is how you feel that you deserve to be treated. Knowing your own worth will show your partner that you know that you deserve the best and your partner will see it and agree.
“I want him to respect me.”
Respect is one of the most important building blocks of a relationship. Respect is what will keep you and your partner afloat through arguments and any other rough patch. Even when the love isn’t particularly flowing on any given day, respectful partners still treat each other as they know that the other deserves to be treated.
“But I want fun times. I want fun, fun times. I want laughs. I want laughs more than anything.”
At the end of the day, your partner should be your best friend. Someone needs to make you feel like you’re developing a six-pack from laughing so hard. Someone needs to appreciate all of your lame jokes. Someone needs to be there to be silly with you when you’re feeling down.
“I have everything else. All I want is a partner in crime to enjoy it with me.”
Most of us don’t have “everything else” in the way that Rihanna does, but this one still applies to the common folk. You need to be content with all of the blessings in your life before you can truly be happy with someone. If you’re looking for your partner to fill some sort of void in your life, then your happiness is contingent on being with them. Instead, your partner should be someone who you want to share in your happiness, not create it.
So, instead of looking for a partner based on how sexy his hair looks when it's pushed back, how likely he is to make six figures, or how great his friends would look when paired up with your friends, make sure to look for a partner who has these basic and very important traits.
