Rihanna Slams Snapchat Ad For Making Light Of Domestic Violence

Snapchat might be heading to the gutters after "Work" singer, Rihanna, encouraged her fans and followers to uninstall the social messaging app from their phones.

This week, the 30-year-old singer-songwriter slammed the app for allowing an ad that seems to be referencing and making light of a 2009 incident when her then-boyfriend, Chris Brown, physically assaulted her, leaving dark bruises on her face and body.

The ad in question was for a "Would You Rather" type of game. It gave the users two options: "Slap Rihanna" or "Punch Chris Brown."

Rihanna Responds To Controversial Snapchat Add

Earlier this week, Bad Gal Riri called out Snapchat for the ad which, she said, was made to shame victims of domestic violence.

"Now, SNAPCHAT I know you already know you ain't my fav app out there! But I'm just trying to figure out what the point was with this mess! I'd love to call it ignorance, but I know you ain't that dumb," the Grammy-winning singer stated. "This isn't about my personal feelings, cause I don't have much of them... but all the women, children and men that have been victims of [domestic violence] in the past and especially the ones who haven't made it out yet... you let us down!"

To further toughen the blow, Rihanna posted the message via Instagram Stories, a similar feature to Snapchat's disappearing messages.

Activist Brittany Packnett and Chelsea Clinton similarly criticized the app for the ad.

Snapchat Apologizes To Rihanna

The social media app, first released to the market in 2011, has responded and issued an apology for allowing the ad to appear on the platform.

"The advert was reviewed and approved in error, as it violates our advertising guidelines. We immediately removed the ad last weekend, once we became aware," the company stated. "We are sorry that this happened."

Snapchat's advertising policy outlined on its website states that the social media bans "shocking, sensational, or disrespectful content."

Snapchat's Downfall

Rihanna's comment has caused Snapchat's stock to tumble on Thursday. Snap Inc. closed at $17.20 or down nearly 4 percent within the day.

This is not the first time this year that the social media company clashed with a celebrity. Back in February, social media and reality star Kylie Jenner caused the shares of the company to drop almost 8 percent, wiping $1.3 billion off of its stock market value. Jenner, who has over 105 million followers on Instagram, did not like Snapchat's re-design and said that she has stopped using the app.

Tags

Rihanna, Chris Brown, Snapchat, Instagram, Kylie Jenner