Another Kardashian had another baby.
While typically this isn’t much news, the recent birth of 20-year-old Kylie Jenner’s daughter to the Kardashian clan has garnered national attention.
Jenner, who is most known for her appearance on the reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians and her makeup products from Kylie Cosmetics, was able to keep her pregnancy fairly under the wraps for the entirety of nine months.
She often left press and fans guessing at whether or not she even was pregnant. As one who is famous for her presence on social media, her absence these past few months made everyone that more curious.
“My pregnancy was one I chose not to do in front of the world,” Jenner said in a public post on several social media platforms. “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.”
Jenner also posted a nearly 12-minute long video where she lets people see her journey the past nine months. The video also featured Jenner’s boyfriend Travis Scott, who is assumed to be the father, though unconfirmed.
While this may seem far from our hilly school in Ohio, this occurrence raises questions about teen pregnancy.
While Jenner has enough money and support to take on motherhood, many other 20-year-olds who found themselves taking pregnancy tests may not be as prepared or well off.
Specifically, how does Denison look to help potential unexpected pregnancies? We reached out to Whisler and Denison Housing, but responses did not come in time for publishing.
“I think that it puts out this idea that 20-year-olds can have babies but no one really has that wealth to support a child. So for me this is just a reflection of her privilege,” said Sarah Stumpf ‘20, an anthropology and sociology major from Los Angeles.
If a student were to become unexpectedly pregnant and decide to keep the baby for any reason, many believe that there would not be a lot of support at school.
“I mean, if you think about it the student would have to go to class, potentially work and participate in extracurriculars all with a baby. How would that work with rooming? The reality is the student would probably have to transfer or drop out,” said Emily Mason ‘20, a biology major from Wooster, Ohio. “Yet, the possibility is not that absurd. In a college environment, there is plenty of opportunity for an accident.”
While no one has commented on what Denison does have in place, there are several resources for sex education on campus. Students can utilize Denison Advocates for Sexual Health (DASH) as a resource, as well as Title IX.
“This is obviously an exciting time for Kylie. She kept everyone guessing for months. However, the fact that she was able to hid it for so long is testament to the amount of money she has. She is a celebrity who was able to hide her child for nine months, and that is a liberty no one else would be able obtain,” said Katie Aucamp ‘20, a global commerce and communication major from Jupiter, Florida. “Any other teen pregnancy is extremely publicized and often becomes a really stressful event, but for Kylie it’s a celebration.”
While no one is saying there is anything wrong with teen pregnancy, it definitely has been historically frowned upon. Jenner brings an interesting and complex discussion to the spotlight with her announcement.