JOURDAN’S TEEN VOGUE COVER SPARKS CONTROVERSY?
Pregnant model Jourdan Dunn, who is due in December, is featured on the November issue of Teen Vogue.According to MSNBC, Jourdan’s Teen Vogue cover has sparked a controversy of some sort.
There’s nothing about the cover that would indicate that Jourdan Dunn, who is the first black model to walk a Prada show since Naomi Campbell in the 1990s, is pregnant. She looks no different than Chanel Iman, who is also pictured, and the accompanying cover line says simply, “Teen Supermodels Jourdan and Chanel on their rise to the top.”
Not until you read the accompanying piece does the subject of Dunn’s pregnancy come into play. Toward the end of the interview, Dunn says her unplanned pregnancy was “really hard,” and “all I could think about was what my mom was going to say, my agency, my boyfriend.”
From all indications in the piece, all parties are supportive of Dunn, who is due in December.
A representative for Teen Vogue said that they didn’t know Dunn was pregnant until after the photo shoot, and production schedules, among other factors, led to the decision to keep the cover in place.
…If [Jamie Lynn] Spears and [Bristol] Palin weren’t enough to spawn a dialogue about teen pregnancy, Teen Vogue will certainly advance the conversation, whether we’re ready for it or not.
well at least she’s not there saying its been easy and everyone should do it
vogue are chattin bull though, of course they knew
Jourdan and Chanel look beautiful, they look like they could be related.
We live in a culture that celebrates this, so what’s new? I understand Jourdan is 19, and is legally an adult, but to me she’s still very young and unmarried (I know that’s a curse word to some). Since she’s a model and has that “paper,” she’ll get a pass. Many BCK readers will high-five her. Cool. All those pregnant girls at that high school in Chitown might aspire to be like Jourdan one day, but to me this is not a good look. Teen Vogue didn’t know about the pregnancy until after so it’s not their fault. At least everyone is supported. She’s carrying a baby all ready so they might as well be. I hope she has a healthy baby, has a good boyfriend, and that both will be mature enough to be good parents. I wish Jourdan the best, and I’m going to leave it at that.
I just hate seeing things like this being applauded in our society (i.e. Jamie Lynn and Bristol Palin) so please don’t come at me with that “being judgmental” mess. It’s just an OPINION.
Peace.
I agree with you Teri. I guess all forms of birth control made her sick (that’s what my neice Ashley said after being pregnant with twins (may they rest in peace), these would have been her 6th at 25.
Stories like these also need to highlight the fact that our young (and old) black women are still having unprotected sex with their ‘exclusive’ boyfriends given the AIDS statistics in the black community.
If U get pregnant and decide to keep it in 2009, U should be applauded! 19, 25, 30, 39 what every the age, single or married the world is F&*^% up and if u decide that life is more important that is all that matters.
Fathers leave? Who would have thought THAT kinda crap would still be happening in this day and age? Anybody that has been in a relationship and it didn’t work out. Some daddy’s stay and raise their kids. Some get married and some just live and love.
Some people think U should be married BEFORE U have a kid. That is the opinion of some. Well I think that stay-at-home mommies don’t have the hardest or the most fulfilling job in the world, but again that is my opinion.
Jourdan makes more money than 99% of the people on this website. She is in a better position to have and raise a baby than any of us were when we decided to become someones parent. Again I say Bravo to Jourdan for deciding to give life instead of using abortion like birth control!
Some people think U should be married BEFORE U have a kid. That is the opinion of some. Well I think that stay-at-home mommies don’t have the hardest or the most fulfilling job in the world, but again that is my opinion.
Jourdan makes more money than 99% of the people on this website. She is in a better position to have and raise a baby than any of us were when we decided to become someones parent. Again I say Bravo to Jourdan for deciding to give life instead of using abortion like birth control!
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Michelle, you stated that stay-at-home mommies do not have the hardest job. What are you basing your opinion on? Just asking.
Also, who cares if Jourdan makes 10 million dollars. All the money in the world doesn’t guarantee she will be a suitable mother? Do people even know what parenting entails? Hopefully they are ready for the task at hand. Raising a child is not easy. Yeah, we feed, clothe, diaper them etc., but what values and learning experiences are we prepared to pass down to them so they become productive members of society? That’s what we should consider when we decide to procreate. JMO.
Michelle,
Pls refrain from cursing on this site. There are ways to express your opinion without cursing.
I do not care how much money one has, no one is prepared to have their first child, no matter the age. Just like no one is prepared to be married. One may think they are but marriage & parenthood are alot of constant work.
I have been a stay at home mom for my son’s first 3 yrs & have been a working single mom since then. I can honestly say, they are both hard. Until you try it yourself, do not downgrade that.
As long as I do not have to take care of her baby, I don’t care if she keeps it or not.
@ Sherley…
pls shut up… you have been harping on this topic since we started it and talk out of both sides of your mouth w/ the God talk and then as long as its not me…
you got all this to say about ppl’s household, but you still ended up a single mother, huh? Your comments are the ones that I DO NOT look fwd to the most bc you are the most judgemental, non fact having, so called Christians that I’ve ever heard. God would be ashamed of you.
Michelle you need to get real and take hold of the REAL world. Deciding to bring a child into this world alone shouldn’t be applauded. A 5 year old girl had a child what’s to applaud about that? laying on your back and having unprotected sex whether married, single at any age is rather easy. How about you get out of fantasy land and take a look around you. Every person brought into this world doesn’t live a charmed life. Visit some foster homes, juvenile centers, ride around the streets and see children selling themselves. I guess those children who are being raped by relatives, beaten like prisoners, witnessing their parents drug abuse, exposed to it themselves, being born with AIDS because some selfish woman felt is was her RIGHT to have a child nevermind the suffering that lays ahead for the kid, kids not being feed-sheltered-or clothed should be happy? Children that are told you ain’t s#@! aint never gonna be s@!# is living the life huh? Children that are being born in attempts to keep men or out of preceived obligation that are then ignored when the newness of having a baby wears off should be celebrated??!!!Bringing children into the world that’s not being taken cared of should be applauded simply because mom decided to carry her pregnancy to term…..Seriously?!
Honey its not carrying them to term that should be applauded but how they are raised. And given the fuckery and mockery made of parenting these days TRUST EVERY Woman is not meant to have children and those unborn fetuses are better off. But then again people like you don’t give a damn about how these kids are raised you just want to dictate to other women when and if they should become mothers than turn around and talk shit about those that fail at it miserably but offer no assistance. Remove those rose colored glasses Pollyanna!
who is to say she is in a better position to have and raise a child just because you have money @ 19. You need to be mentally ready to have a child it takes more than money.
And who’s to say she’s incapable because she’s 19? If she was married at 19 would she be? Who’s to say anyone on this site is a good mother at any age? Who’s to say celebrities should have kids at all given their lifestyles?
Just say children are a blessing and congrats! You all are should-ing all over yourselves.
Monique, we love spouting that “children are a blessing” diabtribe. No one is saying that just because she’s 19, she’ll make a poor parent, but regardless of what age you are, you should be prepared and ready to have children. If you aren’t ready, get ready. Children are more than a blessing; they are entrusted in our care and totally dependent on us. Their lives are in our hands. There’s no need to get defensive. Jourdan’s having her baby regardless of what any one of us thinks.
Thank you!!
Black women love hiding behind that mantra that babies and children are a blessing don’t they? When the reality is children are the result or consequence of either failed contraceptives or unprotected sex plain and simple. Yet too many Black women use the blessing mantra to justify having out of wedlock children, having numerous children for various men and/or having more kids than they can handle. By holding on to this mentality Black women will disporportionately continue to lead all other races of women in being single mothers, depriving their children of both parents and the bastardization of black children. As for all children being blessings.. please! everyday the news reminds us for every “blessing” there’s a “demon seed”.
@Raquel. Really? Hiding? from the truth? that children simply are a blessing for many–married or not. I never thought I could love another human being as much as I love my children, scares me sometimes.
By the by, I support the concept of healthy, loving marriages for the most part, when man and woman are in it for the right reasons, and decide TOGETHER to bring children into it, but also acknowledge it is not for everyone.
Most women in truly contented marriages testify to the merits of the institution mostly by example rather than spewing vitriol and harshly judging others, in addition,not all single parents arrive at that destination by the same street. I have found that women in some of the most dry, unloving, disrepectful “fronts” of a marriage tend to oddly be the most vocal proponents of it–going as far to put down the almighty’s children (we human parents are but vessels and shepherds)and refer to them as bastards (your words)–who uses that word these days??.
Monique please spare me. Children are a blessing, yes, 100%. However, not everyone thinks so. People sexually, mentally & physically abuse their children. Some people do so due to their age or other issues. Even parents who have been blessed with a special needs child, say they weren’t ready.
If Jourdan were married, no it would not make her situation better. At the age of 19, no one is ready for marriage or parenthood. You can be the most mature, have received advice from everyone living & most wealthy person in the world, but nothing prepares you for either until you are in that situation. No ones knows how good of a mom Jourdan will be until she’s being a parent. Jourdan doesn’t even know. So unless you are God & can guarantee everyone that insight, spare us your redric.
How in the world do all of you assume so much about someone you don’t know. You know what happens when you ass-u-me. Heck, my grandmorher got married with two kids by 19. You can’t lump people in one pot. She may bea horrible mother or she may raise the next Einstein. Man, I would hate to be any of you all’s kids. This is why so many teens are hiding pregnancies and getting botched abortions. And I’m a 26yr old Christian who stayed pure until marriage! So judgemental!
Why is this controversial? Young women of color have been having children in their teens for what seems like forever. Moralism aside, and I’m not talking about this young woman on Vogue, but why is abortion such a dirty word? Is it really better to raise a child one isn’t able to afford, emotionally or financially, to appear morally pure in choosing not to abort? 14,15 and I would even say 20 year olds have no business having children.
@nyp,
I agree. Unfortuntely teens have been having babies since the Stone Ages. You mentioned “moralism.” That’s a dirty word in today’s language. Anyway, I’ve seen parents in the 30’s who should’ve never be able to procreate. However, as far as abortion is concerned - personally I don’t agree with it at all. I couldn’t tell someoene else not to do it. That is their choice, but I think it’s murder of an unborn child. So many women use abortion like birth control. There are ways not to get pregnant and some men and women are very careless. That’s my take on it.
If we profess to be Christians but yer be judgemental of these sinlge mothers rich or poor we are not being Christ-like. Yes, I do believe that the better way to do is to be married, but things happen so we deal with the best way and she did by keeping another humans life. I do hope things go well for her and her family.
What is being judgemental? Don’t you make judgements everyday? People have their views and they express them. No one is condemn Jourdan or anyone else to hell. That, to me, would be judgemental. If someone abuses a child, wouldn’t you call them on it? Wouldn’t you call that an evil act? Is that being judgemental? Just asking.
Anyway, I wish no ill will on Jourdan or anyone else.
Her job should have nothing to do with her personal life; she is a model not a minister or life coach.
She is using her God given beauty to provide an income for herself and unborn child…who does this hurt?
You are so right but here’s the thing so many of us look to celebrities to be our role model. If your famous and rich you are held to a higher standard which I could never understand.
How can anyone at the age of 19 be a role model? That’s a very tender age an age where you are bond to f-up a few times. This young celebs are dealing with the same issues in life as other people their age. 19 is an age where you are trying to find a place for yourself in this world. Beside a lot teenager don’t know their a$$ from a hole in the ground.
I don’t see anything wrong with her being on the cover. She is stunning and so is Chanel (first time I am seeing or hearing of this one though).
I am glad to see that the industry she is in doesnt appear to be shunning her for a personal life choice. It is her glowing face featured here and not her growing belly.
Also, she is not responsible for teaching what parents don’t at home. Hopefully in her busy modeling career where they travel tons, she will make adequate time for baby.
Yes, it does take more than money to adequately parent children, she will sacrifice some, but what parent hasn’t regardless of age, in order to be up to task.
I am happy for her, wish her luck, do not condone teen pregnancy, but the money will help lots in her situation, their is just no getting around it.
@Terri
I 100,000,000.00% agree with you this is very unexceptable nomatter how much money she has. This is where people have forgotten about the lord.
They need to shut the hell up. It’s always okay when it’s them but if it’s someone else there’s a problem. I did not hear any outcry about Jamie-Lyn (don’t even know how to spell her damn name) Spears. These people are such hypocrite.
Jamie Lynn, Keisha Castle-Hughes, and Bristol Palin were talked about almost daily when news of their pregnancies came out. Yes there were some that defended them (mostly young stupid teenage girls), but parents were outraged. I remember boycotts of Nick being talked about when everyone found out that Jamie Lynn was pregnant, and several wanted to boycott the Nativity movie because a pregnant teen girl was playing Mary.
I wouldn’t say that it’s ok when “one of them” does it because they were outraged then too and more so(IMO).
Just because she has money doesnt mean that parenting will be a breeze. There isn’t enough money in the world to teach a woman patience or maturity. Those things come by learning and doing. Jourdan has a long road ahead of herself, and the fact that she is young and unmarried makes it even harder….just look at the statistics.
OMG, should her career be over with because she’s pregnant? I know older, married women who aren’t great parents, so I don’t think that age is much of a predictor. She can be a good mom, and that in itself would make her a good role model for the millions of young women and teen girls who are already having babies before Jourdan Dunn and will continue to have them after Jourdan Dunn; not news worthy!
The girl is 19 not 14, there’s a big difference and she’s not a 19 girl on the street or on welfare she a model and a successful one at that this child will be well taken care of. I remember jamie lynn spears’ tv show was still on the air on Nick for a full 6mos. after she announced she was preg. Then after some not alot of controversy they pulled the plug on the show.
AFR AM DONT LOOK GOOD IN RED LIPSTICK!
Not Jourdan, not Chanel, not halle. NO ONE!
19 is young but bc of her job she may be very mature.
My mom wasnt preg @ 19; I wouldnt be preg @ 19; & my daugh wont be preg @ 19.
In my humble opinion, I think the make-up artist that applied Jourdan’s make-up for this high profile magazine cover know what works with what in terms of her skin tone, teeth facial structure, etc.
A lot of thought process went into what type of make-up was used for this particular shoot.
I think she is a beautiful enough model to wear red, purple or black lipstick and based on how highly paid and respected she obviously is in the fashion industry, so do a lot of other folks.
OMG People.. Ok, She’s Pregnant.. GET OVER IT! Weve Battled On This Topic Long Enough… Next…
Again, Congrats Jourdin! Thank You For CREATING Life Instead Of KILLING It..
People need to seriously stop with the madness. That girl is almost 20yrs old, same age I was when I had my daughter. Regardless if I was married or not, I was mature, living on our own, making our own money and raising our child. Judging from my daughter having 2 degrees by the age of 22yrs old and on her third, I did sumthin right. Plus she graduated from a well known private school at 17yrs old acing cal and physics in the 10th grade. Believe it or not, my grandson was saying words at 7 months, walking at 8mths. 2 yrs old, this kid can talk completely in 5-7 word sentences clearly. Looking at pewter with his mom yesterday, saw some bikes. Asked her was she gonna buy grammy a bike? daughter said no. He asked her why? because mommy dont have any money. Yes you do, it is in your wallet. He went and got her wallet off dresser,lmao. Honest to the Good Lord, that is how my grandbaby talks and want be 3 til next spring. Believe me it is so many people that have so many skeletons in their closet u wouldnt believe. Abortions,adoptions,diseases,homosexuality,etc, yet these r the ones that make the statements,lol.
Just because having a baby at a young age worked for some people that doesn’t mean it is for everyone else. The point is not that Jourdan probably makes more money than most women on this site.
The point is that the young girls who don’t have anywhere near Jourdan’s means may look to her as a role model and think this is ok for their lives. Those 115 Chicago HS girls see other people having babies at a young age and feel that is the norm. They aren’t thinking that people like Bristol Palin, Jamie Lynn Spears, Keisha Castle-Hughes, and Jourdan Dunn have the means to take care of a child (if not the maturity) and they don’t.
Teenage pregnancy is very contagious.
I think that people have really over-simplified the issue here. They look at Jourdan Dunn, see that she is 19 and they are like “that’s bad because she’s a teenager”. The fact is, she might be 20 by the time she gives birth and then all those people here saying “teen this” and “teen that” will have do a ridiculous 180 degrees because they are basing their opinions on really shallow criteria (i.e. her age). The expression “teen mother” is used as a shorthand (and mostly, it must be said, for undereducated, single and unemployed black woman) and so I think it’s always best to look a bit closer at the circumstances of each individual and not to assume that they share this package of qualities which are the real reason behind the bad rep teen mothers have. Similarly “unmarried” is often used as shorthand for the same undereducated kind of woman even though there is no good reason why 2 unmarried people in a stable relationship shouldn’t be able to raise a child well (cf. MJ’s kids. They did not benefit for their father’s marriage to their mother).
I think that Jourdan Dunn has made a terrible mistake and set a bad example but not because of her age or marital status. She, Keisha Castle-Hughes and Jamie Lynn Spears have all made the bad decisions to get pregnant and then have babies when they are right at the beginnings of very precarious careers in which they have only a short time to make as much money as they can. Jourdan Dunn has just thrown away a lottery ticket– being a black supermodel. And most runway models only work from their late teens to their early twenties — that’s a small window. Does she think that the industry is going to sit around and wait for her to finish being a mommy? It might (I was surprised she did Fashion Week), but she shouldn’t have just assumed that it would. Brandy and Lauryn Hill made that same mistake and they had much better standing’s in their industry than Dunn has in hers. Jamie Lynn-Spears, like her sister, isn’t independently wealthy, she actually needed to be able to keep on working to earn money as the rest of her family are just parasites (she’s like Janet Jackson in that respect). Now she has ruined her image as a squeaky clean teen and lost her Nickolodean show — hopefully she saved up something when they going was good! As for Keisha Castle-Hughes, I laughed and laughed when I read on here that she was hoping to move to Hollywood to get some work… good luck with that Keisha! You beat the odds the first time round to become famous (I count the amount of New Zealanders I know on one hand. *And those are just the white ones*) but you thought that you could take a time out and have a kid and just pick up right back were you left off..? Er, no. The only place I still see Keisha is on this website…
People have to fully capitalise on their moments. Showbiz is too fickle a business.
Besides the fact that many (not all) young women Jourdan’s age lack the maturity and life experience to take on motherhood well, you have brought up another very valid and daunting aspect of her having a child now, at this age and this stage of her career.
Hopefully she will beat the odds and be able to pick up where she left off.
ok so she has money so what. she still is 9 TEEN which means she is still a teenager and to young in my opinion. if thats her choice ok fine but having money doesnt mean now your a good mom but im sure she is intelligient young kady and get the hang of it. even though she isnt the first teen to get pregnant doesnt make it right but she isnt in fact the first to get pregnant as a teen its been done before and some of those kids were raised fine so im sure she’ll get the hang of it.
but on the other hand just because she is 19 doesnt mean she cant take care of one its a young age but nobody knows her she may be a intellgient young lady a 30 year old may be the worse mother in the world and may not know a clue about babies or raising one but does she get a pass because she 30 or this 19 young lady here may know more than the 30 year old so we dont know her personally so we dont know how well she can take care of one or if she is mentally…
and who said marriage is always right?? me personally i dont want to get married but i dowant kids. just because you have a ring on your finger doesnt make you better than anybody or you get the ok to do something like have kids because your married. being married doesnt mean anything if the guy cheats or get kids outside the marriage or leaves you and gets a divorce if marriage was so sacred there wouldnt be divorce. being a single mother or being in a relantionship isnt the worst thing in the world if you get married and then get a divroce then what does that make you?? a single mother but just because you took that leap to get married but another woman chose not to doesnt make the divorcee; any better than the other woman. me im believe in god and everything but im not going to let the bible tell me i have to one thing in other to do the other i should be able to do whatever i want in the way i want. so i to me marriage doesnt mean anything with bringing a child into the world because those two people can split up just like any other couple.
but with that said i iwsh jourdon the best of luck to be a good mom becuase no matter how old she is all i say is aslong as she is a good mom financally and mentally she gonna be ok