Some dads have proven to be insecure seeking to micromanage every facet of their daughters’ lives and rapper Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. better known as T.I. has proven to be such a man, at least in some eyes.
He stated in a podcast interview that aired Tuesday that he goes to the gynaecologist every year with his daughter to “check her hymen” and to make sure it’s “still intact.”
It all began when ‘Ladies Like Us’ hosts Nazanin Mandi and Nadia Moham asked T.I. if he’s had the “sex talk” with his daughters whereupon the 39-year-old submitted “not only have we had the conversation — we have yearly trips to the gynaecologist to check her hymen.”
“Yes, I go with her.” In reference to his eldest daughter, 18-year-old Deyjah Harris who is in her first year of college.
In the light of a woman’s hymen able to break through physical activity like bike riding, athletics and horseback riding, aside sexual penetration, doctors who conduct the test sought to enlighten the parent but the rapper-cum-actor was defiant.
“And so then they come and say, ‘Well, I just want you to know that there are other ways besides sex that the hymen can be broken like bike riding, athletics, horseback riding, and just other forms of athletic physical activity,'” he said. “So I say, ‘Look, Doc, she don’t ride no horses, she don’t ride no bike, she don’t play no sports. Just check the hymen, please, and give me back my results expeditiously.'”
But his daughter whom he had with wife Tameka Cottle isn’t perturbed by her father’s intrusion.
“So we’ll go and sit down and the doctor comes and talk, and the doctor’s maintaining a high level of professionalism. He’s like, ‘You know, sir, I have to, in order to share information’ — 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.'”
From age 16, T.I. has undertaken the hymen checks with his daughter leaving some online users to wonder why the mum doesn’t take on the duty if it must be done at all.
But a proud T.I. is content knowing her daughter has not known a man submitting, “I will say, as of her 18th birthday, her hymen is still intact.”
For one in the entertainment industry and whose own hits are filled with lyrics about sex, some reckon T.I’s obsession with his daughter’s hymen being intact is unhealthy with others noting, there’s no useful purpose for vagina testing.
The World Health Organization calls virginity testing “a violation of the human rights of girls and women.”
With the organization declaring in a statement, “‘Virginity testing’ has no scientific or clinical basis. There is no examination that can prove a girl or woman has had sex – and the appearance of girl’s or woman’s hymen cannot prove whether they have had sexual intercourse, or are sexually active or not.”
T.I. is not nearly as worried about the sexual activities of his 15-year-old son, King — who is already sexually active admitting on the family’s VH1 reality show in June 2019 that he became sexually active when he turned 14.
So instead of celebrating the fact that his child lived another year, TI spends his time hyper-fixating on whether or not her hymen is intact? This is so overwhelmingly weird and toxic and he needs to be stopped
— ???’? ??????? ??? (@sammyhammy727) November 6, 2019
“I don’t want any of my children to have sex before it’s time for them, but who’s to say when it’s time?” he said.
“However, I will definitely feel different about a boy than I will about a girl. And that’s just the God’s honest truth. I don’t think there’s any father out there who’ll tell you any different.”
asking a doctor to check your daughter to see if she has been having sex is humiliating & sick af.
— patrisha (@patrishaluxe) November 6, 2019
& you can’t even always tell by a broken hymen. you can break your hymen by hurting yourself on a bike seat.
T.I.’s comments about his daughter has received backlash on social media, with many unenthused about what they called an invasion of Deyjah’s personal space.
I’m gonna need everyone, especially men, to let go of this “viriginity/hymen/purity” concept. It’s outdated, let it go. Virginity is made up. It doesn’t exist. Shut the fuck up.
— ig: honeymoonsoul_ (@briaruffen) November 6, 2019