Keeping Up With the Kardashians has become a whole lot trickier with Kylie Jenner’s pregnancy.

TMZ’s bombshell allegation of Jenner’s pregnancy unleashed a Twitter frenzy in September that is still going strong, leaving users to speculate whether the rumors were marketing ploys to further the Kardashian brand and boost ratings. But regardless of whether Jenner is actually expecting, one thing remains fact: Sexism is alive and well in the United States, if the reaction to Jenner’s so-called pregnancy is any indication.

Although Jenner faced a slew of comments calling her a slut or a whore for being pregnant at 20, criticisms against her boyfriend, rapper Travis Scott, were nowhere to be found. Even though it takes two to tango, apparently Jenner only has herself to blame.

Lisa Olson-Gugerty, an associate professor of nursing and public health at the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, said the reaction to Jenner’s supposed pregnancy highlights society’s deeply rooted microaggressions against women’s sexuality. In an email, she addressed the double standards between men’s and women’s sexual empowerment.

“The stereotypical view has been that it is okay for men to have some type of sexual prowess, even expected as a (rite) of passage transitioning from boyhood to adulthood,” she said. “However, the view of a sexually aggressive or experienced young woman is considered to have ‘loose morals.’”

The paradox at the crux of the issue is society’s acceptance of women’s maternity and its disapproval of women’s sexuality. Even though the two are intrinsically related, many people welcome pregnancy and motherhood with open arms while simultaneously disregarding sexually active women.

“I think it is our cultural discomfort with sex, sexuality and the disconnect that is carried over to pregnancy,” Olson-Gugerty said. “Look at breastfeeding. We are mammals and are meant to lactate, but society has some overt shunning of public breast feeding while no one is offended when a baby is drinking artificial formula from a plastic bottle.”

Beyond the cultural disparities between sex and maternity comes the public fascination with celebrity sexuality. For many, Jenner’s sexual empowerment is either celebrated or condemned, depending on whether the public benefits from it.

Celebrities who are women are often hypersexualized and placed on pedestals as sex figures, contributing to a greater narrative on sexual gratification and consumption. When a woman embraces her own sexuality, regardless of whether it benefits a man, that’s when the narrative shifts from her being a sex symbol to a whore.

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“Young celebrities who have been pushed through the public eye are often forced into being a sexual object, entering the world of sexual tension and consideration,” Olson-Gugerty said. “She went on the ‘meat market.’”

The curious case of Jenner’s alleged pregnancy is that, for all the criticism over Jenner being too young or naive to have a child, none of the same criticisms have been thrown at her boyfriend. If Jenner is irresponsible for getting pregnant with her boyfriend of half a year, then maybe people should spend more time telling Scott to wear a condom and less time criticizing Jenner simply because she’s the woman in the equation.

As cliche as it may sound, Jenner’s celebrity platform means her voice has influence and can be used to speak out against the unequal treatment of pregnant women and the culture of misogyny surrounding maternity. Celebrities have access to more than just millions of followers and lavish lifestyles; they have the social currency deemed necessary to evoke real, proactive change.

This isn’t to say Jenner is a celebrity figure without flaws or controversy. From acts of cultural appropriation to accusations of stealing fashion designs from young black fashion designers, there certainly is a time and a place for condemning her. This, however, isn’t it.

Society’s biggest problem with Jenner’s alleged pregnancy isn’t that she’s young and unmarried, or that she’s incapable of providing for a child. The problem is that it puts women’s sexuality front and center — something we aren’t comfortable with when it serves their sexual gratification and not ours.

Kelsey Thompson is a junior magazine journalism major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at katho101@syr.edu.

Published on October 8, 2017 at 7:37 pm