Columnist Wynter Bond shares her view on the announcement of Kylie Jenner’s pregnancy.
So, the news that (most of) America was waiting for finally arrived last week: yes, Kylie Jenner was pregnant but surprisingly, there was no big hoopla during it.
On Feb. 4, the youngest Jenner sister posted on social media platforms, confirming both her pregnancy and the fact that she had given birth. In a typed statement on her Instagram, Jenner stated, “I understand that you’re used to me bringing you along on all my journeys. my pregnancy was one I chose not to in front of the world. I knew for myself I needed to prepare for this role of a lifetime in the most positive, stress free, and healthy way iIknew how. …I chose to so it this way for my little life and our happiness.”
Jenner later posted a link on her Twitter page to a YouTube video chronicling the nine months of pregnancy. Included in the video were sentiments from her best friend, Jordyn Woods, Jenner’s and the baby father Travis Scott’s families, as well as footage of doctor’s visits and Jenner’s baby shower. On Feb. 6, Jenner revealed her baby girl’s name to be Stormi Webster.
Let me start off saying this: I honestly have never had a high regard to any of the Kardashians or Jenners. I used to think Kylie was the worst of them all. She popped up with plastic surgery and a new look that made her look like Kendall’s stepmother when they would pose side by side. It was always exposing clothing and subtweets to her boyfriend’s baby mama. Kylie just spelled drama from the top of each Instagram post to the tagged accounts on her Lip Kit launch promotions. But after reading Kylie’s statement and watching the video, I think I’ve found a new respect for her.
Anyways, I broke the statement down and really tried to connect to Kylie and how she was feeling. What really struck almost immediately me about her statement was when she said “my pregnancy was one I chose not to in front of the world. I knew for myself i needed to prepare for this role of a lifetime in the most positive, stress free, and healthy way i knew how. …I chose to so it this way for my little life and our happiness.” I read that was like “….damn. This is an actual person.” I think as a society we tend to really dehumanize celebrities. We start to just see them as objects of our own entertainment, whether that be in a positive or negative way. We fail to see them as anything more than unattainable goals or promotional marketing. But it’s things like this that strip that notion away and expose a celebrity as someone with feelings and a conscience.
I honestly believe that Kylie is maturing, and that can only mean good things to come. It looks like she’s growing into her own. Not that getting pregnant at 19 is the way to go if one wants to become more “grown up,” but it seems like that’s what it has taken for the seemingly spoiled Jenner to mature in a way that wasn’t just in appearance but also in character. I am so interested in where she goes from here. It seems like she has put childish things aside and is now focusing on being a good mother to her child. There was no big photoshoot, no big, publicized party, no merchandise to make bank off of, not even a huge announcement. Everything was subtle. The only reason it seemed bigger than it did was because of the fans.
I will put this down in writing: I am now a fan of Kylie Jenner. Here’s to hoping she doesn’t do anything to screw this up!
Wynter Bond
wcbond@vwu.edu
