It's tough figuring out whether Rihanna is trying to be a role model or a good girl gone bad?

Since her top-rated sit-down with Diane Sawyer in early November, the singer seems to be recovering relatively well from the media circus surrounding her Feb. 8 assault by boyfriend Chris Brown. From an 'American Music Awards' performance to a recent appearance on 'Saturday Night Live,' the Barbados-born chart topper has been busy promoting her latest album, 'Rated R.'

Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, has been crowned the #3 "Woman of the Year" by 'MTV News.' The music network's news division said that Rihanna's "remarkable transformation" of going from "a victim to an empowered, driven, fiercely independent artist makes her the number three woman of the year."

Just a few weeks ago, internationally renowned supermodel Iman presented the 21-year-old singer with Glamour magazine's "Woman of the Year" honors.

And although she told the magazine that she's embracing being a domestic violence spokesperson ("Domestic violence is a big secret.I want to give as much insight as I can to young women...to help speak for them," she said), she later appeared on BET's '106 and Park' declaring how much she hates being a victim.

The pressure to take a stance seems to have made it more difficult for the songstress to determine who she'd like to be.

Now, Rihanna is sticking to her bad girl image by posing topless on the cover of the January issue of GQ. The cover features the 'Umbrella' singer in a pair of form-fitting daisy duke jeans with her arms placed across her naked breasts. Inside the magazine's pages are additional revealing pictures, including the singer on all fours and scantily covered in a sweater top.

Don't expect the Cover Girl cosmetics spokesperson to reveal additional details about Brown, though. She told the monthly men's mag that she doesn't like "talking about [the incident] a lot."

Advertising Age recently featured a piece detailing the challenges entertainment marketing guru Steve Stoute will have in rebuilding Rihanna's brand.

Stoute, who calls the Grammy Award-winner a "global pop diva," said: "She has the opportunity because of her personal issues to epitomize and work with all people around the world who have personal issues."

"While the spotlight was on her and we watched how she got through it, I think she helped a legion of young girls who look up to her and showed them her strength and fortitude to go through this and move forward with her life," he added.

Regardless of who's trying to position her and how, Rihanna is pushing forward with her music career. The video for her latest single, 'Heavy,' featuring Young Jeezy, premiered Dec.17. Check it out here.

According to published reports, she's also planning a world tour in 2010.