Unless you live under a rock, you probably heard Kylie Jenner came out of hiding and announced the birth of her daughter, Stormi Webster, with “baby daddy” Travis Scott. Stormi was born on Feb. 1 after Jenner disappeared from the public eye for months to hide her pregnancy.
According to tabloids, Scott and Jenner began dating in April 2017, a couple months after her highly public breakup with rapper Tyga. In the beginning of May, Jenner became pregnant with Scott’s baby. She was 19 years old at the time of conception.
Jenner’s publicized hiatus from social media, public sightings and “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” caused fans to obsess over whether or not she was pregnant. Finally, she came out of hiding earlier this month. Fans everywhere were in a frenzy watching the video Jenner tweeted about her newborn daughter on Feb. 1. The video included interviews from friends and family, footage from the months in hiding and the birth of baby Stormi.
Jenner is glorifying teen pregnancy to an audience of mostly teens. Interviews with friends and family reveal details about how Jenner has always wanted to be a mother and about the overall excitement surrounding this unexpected pregnancy. They are all remaining highly positive and happy for the new mother.
Something a lot of people who are praising Jenner seem to forget is that if it were any other 19-year-old who got pregnant, she would be criticized for being irresponsible and her family would be subject to judgements. Because of her celebrity status, she is praised and supported by her fans. She avoided the teen pregnancy stigma because of who she is, and fans need to remember that she should not be put on a pedestal like the one she is on right now.
One reason that nobody seems to want to shame Jenner for her actions is because of money. The cost of raising a child is at least a quarter of a million dollars for a middle-class family, which is chump change for the Kardashian-Jenner family. She is fortunate enough to have a huge company and television empire that will ensure she is financially stable for the rest of her life. Stormi will definitely be feeling the love. Stormi will never want anything and probably won’t ever be forced to work a day in her life. Jenner’s fans are not all that fortunate. Many of them are still in high school and are not fiscally independent like she is.
Jenner is glorifying teen pregnancy to her young fans. She got pregnant with her boyfriend of only a couple months at the age of 19 and made a publicity stunt out of it. While she may say she has always wanted to be a mother, she should be more mindful of her audience and the impact of her words and actions on them.
Sarah Grobety is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from Atlanta, Georgia.