Rihanna covers the September issue of Glamour magazine. She talks about her journey from being seen as an abuse victim after Chris Brown attacked her to her “reinvention” with new music and daring fashion choices. Here are some excerpts from her interview.

On the past couple of years:

“My whole life changed a couple years ago. That’s when I decided to let my guard down completely. There’s freedom in honesty. If you just face it today, tomorrow you can move on to something else”.

On liking dominant guys in the bedroom:

“I play a very dominant role in my life, in every aspect of it. And I like to feel like a lady still, at some point. I feel like that’s the time when a guy really gets to be a man, and I get to be a woman. And if I’m being a man in the bedroom too, there’s nothing really in it for me.”

On her attention getting sense of style:

“Getting dressed, I want to pick the most bizarre pair of shorts so I can figure out how to make it look right, or work an outfit that will make people go, “What the hell is she wearing?”

On dealing with how messy life can get:

“I think honesty is the ultimate liberation in life. People want to shy away from the truth and keep sweeping it under the rug. But after a while, you pick up the rug and there’s just way too much dirt, so you might as well just be up front about it.”

After the break there are some more excerpts, where Rihanna talks about her friendship with Katy Perry, her thoughts on drama, and being a role model. Click on the continue reading link below the thumbnails.

The September issue of Glamour magazine hits newsstands on August 9!

On hating drama…and perfection:

“I hate drama. But at the same time, nothing bothers me more than when life’s perfect. And that’s the sick part. I just love a challenge, whether it’s a relationship, my career, clothing…”

On being a role model for young girls:

“I want to set the right example and, at the same time, live my life….I feel like pop stars can’t be rock stars anymore because they have to be role models, and it takes the fun out of it for us, because we just want to have fun with art.”

On her friendship with Katy Perry:

“All my friends are guys, to be completely honest. But when I met her, it was such a breath of fresh air. I just couldn’t believe this chick had no edit button….Katy and Lady Gaga came out of the gate exactly the way they think, the way they wanna dress, the way they wanna speak.”