Rihanna: ‘All Girls Rock — Black Girls, We Just On Another Level’

In her fashion and music, Rihanna is always inspiring. But at BET’s Black Girls Rock! event, where she was presented with the Rock Star Award, she proved she’s also an inspiring person.

“I believe God put us all here for a reason, and we all have our purpose and we are here to fulfill our purpose individually,” said Rihanna, who wore a shirt dress with a fur coat. “I think the thing that’s kept me sane, the thing that’s kept me humble, the thing that’s kept me successful is being myself. I only know how to do that. This world is so big and it can be so confusing at times that you tend to forget, and you tend to be so indented or tainted by society and the only thing that’s kept me going is being myself. And the minute you learn to love yourself, you would not want to be anybody else.”

She joked that while she isn’t often seen as a role model, the award really meant a lot to her. “Tonight is so important to me because I think I can inspire a lot of young women to be themselves, and that is half the battle,” she said. “That is it. Just be yourself, it’s the easiest thing to be. All girls rock. Black girls, we just [rock] on another level.” (Photo: Getty Images)