You’re wrong, T.I.

The rapper with the extensive vocabulary appeared on the podcast “Ladies Like Us,” telling the world that he was actively taking his daughter, Deyjah to doctor’s appointments. At first it sounded like a normal fatherly duty, yet he explained he requests hymen reports from the gynecologist to ensure that her hymen and virginity is still intact. 

First off, this GROWN man who has already made a mockery of his wife has now made it his duty to invade his 18-year-old daughters’ personal and sexual life, masking it as exercising his right as a parent to “steer” her from making bad decisions. Well, TIP, you might just “steer” her away from you with this misogynistic behavior. It’s one thing to be a father and make sure she understands the importance of health but this is not the way to do it. 

Looking back as an 18-year-old, I didn’t even inform my parents about my reproductive health. My mom went with me one time to give me the basic walk-through of routine checks and then let me decide whether I wanted her to accompany me in the future. This set healthy boundaries in our relationship as it showed she trusted me to do the right not. As I matured, I understood all that came with being sexually active and knew that I could always reach out to my mother without fear due to the boundaries and transparency established early on. 

If only T.I had taken this approach and let Deyjah’s mother be the lead in this area. Yet, even if he insisted on being a part, this would’ve been a great time for Tiny to inform her husband of the female anatomy. A hymen is not a good indicator of virginity and as far as we are concerned, virginity is a social construct. The hymen can be broken while riding a bike, playing sports or even using tampons.

T.I’s lack of knowledge and ignorance on the subject proves that some men can be dumber than a box of rocks when it comes to women yet they still feel the need to assert their “superiority” or “dominance”...please let it rest, we are tired. 

Gynecologists and even Planned Parenthood chimed in on this issue to set the record straight about the hymen and even calling Clifford’s behavior abusive and degrading. Not only did he tell the whole world her business, but he basically opened the floodgates for men who are determined to be with virgins. 

Not only should this have been left off social media but this behavior should not be continued. So please TIP, we beg you to stop, expeditiously.