Baller Alert Entertainment & Lifestyle
By @cakedupdrippedout⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
T.I. is finally ready to face the mounting criticism that erupted over the past few weeks after discussing his oldest daughter’s hymen and virginity.
Over the past few weeks, T.I. has endured heavy scrutiny from fellow celebs and fans alike after he revealed during an episode of the “Ladies Like Us “ podcast that he accompanies his 18-year-old daughter, Deyjah, to her gynecologist appointments for a routine “hymen check.”
He then went on to explain that when the doctor asks Deyjah if she is comfortable sharing that information with her father, he chimes in to ask the college freshman if there is anything she wouldn’t want him to know. “I’m like, ‘Deyjah; they want you to sign this so we can share information. Is there anything you would not want me to know? See, Doc? Ain’t no problem.’” This sparked outrage, primarily from women who deemed this act as intimidation and policing of a woman’s body. While Deyjah has not commented on the humiliating comments made by her father, she has since deactivated her Instagram, likely due to mounting embarrassment.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In part one of the highly anticipated interview, T.I. sat down alongside wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris and dove right into the controversy, now known as #hymengate on social media. T.I. stated that he wanted to clear up any misconceptions regarding his parenting. “I think people began to take it extremely literal,” insinuating that his comments were meant to be taken light-heartedly.⠀
“Never said I was in any exam room. That is an assumption. That is a falsity. Never said that it was being done present day, as an 18-year-old.” T.I. explained to Jada and Adrienne. Both he and Tiny stated that these visits to the doctors were during her high school years.
T.I. also confirmed that Deyjah’s mother, Niko, was also present during the appointments and never objected to him being present. While he explained that Deyjah knew that he was only coming from a place of love, he did confirm that she had an issue with him speaking publicly about it, which he fairly apologized for. “I am incredibly apologetic to her for that,” he said.
Jada Pinkett Smith went on to explain that his comments were presented to the world as him attempting to control his daughter’s virginity. To which T.I. responded by declaring that “In order to guide or direct, you must have a certain level of control in anything.” He doubled down in explaining that he would go to extremes to protect his daughter from young men who may not have the best intentions.
While T.I. may have some valid points, that explanation may not sit well with some. Was his stance good enough to repair the humiliation that this has brung to Deyjah?
Catch up on the full interview on Facebook The Red Table Talk.
