It's not a huge surprise that folks are divided in opinion over LeAnn Rimes's personal life. The singer's controversial affair with actor Eddie Cibrian has consistently made headlines for the past year; however, to her credit, she's gamely kept her head up and maintained a positive attitude to the press and fans.
That said, she herself appears to have hit her limit in terms of outsiders examining her business. After weathering a storm of criticism regarding recently circulated photos of her and Cibrian, the singer has announced she's going to take a break from Twitter.
"It's unhealthy for me and my family to have to read negative comments from people who's opinions have no bearing on my life," she tweeted in explanation.
The pictures in question, which can be seen here and here, and were caught over the 4th of July holiday at a California resort, have caused a flutter of gossip about Rimes's appropriateness. One shot is particularly jarring, showing a bikini-clad Rimes on top of Cibrian in what appears to be a heated embrace--with Cibrian's 3-year-old son sitting right next to them.
Rimes responded to the matter defensively. "Since when is kissing your boyfriend a crime?!" she tweeted Tuesday. "Whose right was it to take pics of us in a private moment and display them for judgement?!"
My take: I do sympathize with Rimes, here. I really believe she simply bent over to give Cibrian a spontaneous kiss--which probably lasted all of two seconds. However, she was unfortunately caught at the exact "money shot" moment, making it look as if she's engaging in a serious bout of R-rated behavior.
As anyone who's talented at photography knows, it's easy to capture one moment, take it out of context, and make it look much more interesting than it really was (case in point: remember the bikini shots of Taylor Swift that made headlines a while ago?).
Anyway. Whether Rimes was actually engaging in a juicy makeout session in front of a minor or not, the discussion naturally extends to whether she's overstepping with Cibrian's sons in general.
I'm a mom of a preschooler, and I think it's good that Rimes is getting along well with her boyfriend's kids (which he apparently spends a great deal of time with, if Rimes's Twitter account is a reliable source). It's another thing altogether that Rimes is freely discussing Cibrian's children on social media--which she does frequently. While not inherently dangerous or damaging to the kids, it has to be extraordinarily irritating for Cibrian's soon-to-be ex-wife.
I mean, come on, fellow moms--admit you'd see red if you saw this tweet from your ex's new flame: "So sweet when a 3 year old climbs in bed and says 'why are you so pretty!'" (Ay! I am feeling my--happily married!--blood-pressure going up just reading that one, aren't you? I can't help it!)
Granted, Cibrian's wife is not without her own share of questionable behavior in this saga, having spoken out to the press against Rimes numerous times. But, I would allow her the right-of-way in any matter involving her children, including the right to expect Rimes to silence discussion of the kids on public forums.
So, on that note, I think it's probably a good idea for Rimes to take a break from Twitter. I must say, I admire her spirit overall, if not everything she's been doing. After wishing "God bless" to her fans, her final farewell on Twitter read: "It's time for me to focus on healing, my happiness and my music. I can't wait to share it all with my fans soon!
"There's a million other ways to stay connected with my fans and I plan to focus on those! The most important, bringing you great music!"
Right on to that. No matter what's going on in your personal life, We don't want to see your amazing talent to go waste--so keep on keepin' on, LeAnn.
What do you think about this whole deal? Be sure to let me know!
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