EDITORIAL: The Double Standard On Justin Bieber & Tyga’s Underaged Girlfriends Cannot Be Allowed

Originally posted on HipHopDX 8/18/2016

If you’re like me, you try to shield yourself from the world of annoying, incessant pop culture and the Kardashian “famous for being famous” microwave era of celebrity. So you may not be aware that 22-year-old Justin Bieber is dating 17-year old-Sofia Richie, daughter of Lionel Richie. You are, by this time, most certainly aware that a 23-year-old Tyga started dating Kylie Jenner when she was 17. What are the differences in these scenarios and why would you be so openly aware of one over the other? Both girls, at the age of 17, are underage and cannot legally consent to a sexual relationship with a 22 and 23-year-old, respectively. But it’s only a year from consent right?

Let’s make this clear out of the gate so that there’s no misunderstanding my stance: There’s no reason a man over the age of 20 should even WANT a girl that’s 17 and under. What the fuck is wrong with you? What do y’all even have in common socially, mentally, and sexually? She’s a junior or senior in high school and you’re of the age where you’re finishing off college. You’re at least 3-4 years deep into full-time employment. She’s not even fully developed. You’re gross. You’re sick. You might literally be sick medically and you should seek professional help.

Now let me explain the difference.

The media has historically shown a large bias between how it covers matters of this sensitivity based on the races of the parties involved. Yes, it sucks that we have to view such a topic through the lens of race. I know. No, I’m not linking everything to being a racial issue but when you step back and view the historical context it’s hard not to.

Compared to…

Need even further context you say? Well, allow me.

We are a mere couple of weeks away from the 22-year anniversary of Robert “Someone PLEASE chemically castrate him so he can’t strike again” Kelly marrying a 15-year-old Aaliyah Haughton. They would then cement their Roman Polanski meets Woody Allen love story with a sexually explicit song “Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number” shortly after. Robert “I Don’t Want Your Wives, Where Your Offspring At? ” Kelly admitted as early as this year that he and the 15-year-old Aaliyah were “best friends, deep friends” and was in love with her.

In 1994, I was a 10-year-old boy living in Detroit. I was well-versed with everything Aaliyah-related and to my recollection, there was never a single, negative story about it while it was happening. The fake media outrage only came afterward. Hmph.

Why is that important?

Black people throughout history have been portrayed as sexual deviants. The black woman has consistently had her body misused since slavery. She has been the nurse to slave owner children, often breastfeeding them. She has been subjected to comfort, for that of slave owners and to champion slaves in order to breed more champion slaves. The black woman, throughout history, has been viewed as nothing more than a sexual portal. To this day we don’t make their struggle any better by continuing to exploit their plight through our music and entertainment, relegating them to the sum of their parts.

Yeah, yeah I know I’m sounding like a real Notep (copyright pending on my slang; cite your sources). So what does this have to do with Justin Bieber/Sofia Richie and Tyga/Kylie Jenner?

Simmer down. I’m getting to that. When it was made news that a 23-year-old Tyga was dating a 17-year-old Kylie Jenner, the world was in an uproar. And rightfully so. Eww. Get someone your own age, you nasty bastard. If that Jenner/Kardashian family had a modicum of decency and self-respect, they’d have drug Tyga straight to the nearest police station. But the media and Twitter activists were in an immediate uproar. There was a litany of editorials lambasting Tyga, rightfully so, as a cradle robber such as this one from Huffington Post and this one from VH1.

On the flip side, where is the outrage over a 22-year-old Justin Bieber boastfully bedding a 17-year-old Sofia Richie? One glance at those same two sites that so proudly blasted Tyga have NO such mention of Justin Bieber in the same manner. The Huffington Post has an article that chronicles their relationship with no such vitriol that they reserved for Tyga while VH1 only seems to be focused on why Bieber’s ex, Selena Gomez is critical of the Biebs new relationship.

Never forget, this is only a year removed from when “The Biebz” held an impromptu casting call for any “13-year-old and 14-year-old’s” during “An Acoustic Evening With Justin Bieber” to benefit the Stratford House of Blessing in Toronto. 

One has to ask him or herself why that may be. And, for me, I could only come to one conclusion.

It is still widely perceived and expected for black people to be considered sexual deviants. See, the masses didn’t care when Robert “Mr. Touch Your Teen” Kelly was enjoying the company of little girls — complete with impunity — for over 20 years because every last one of his victims was black. The media was only forced to deal with it when video surfaced of him allegedly relieving himself on a 13-year-old girl in between having sex with her.

It was an issue when a 23-year-old African-American male began to perceivably bed a 17-year-old white girl. He manipulated her. He’s a sexual deviant. He took advantage of that poor innocent white girl. Right? Black men are sexual deviants. Because black people are sexual deviants. This is typical behavior for our hyper-sexualized black women, right? At least that’s the narrative that has been written for ourselves.

Right? How else should we frame this?

It’s time we protect our black bodies. Beyond race, it’s time that we as a nation better protect our women. ALL of our women. If you are one of those people who had an issue with Tyga dating Kylie but you don’t have anything to say about Bieber dating Sofia then you are the problem. You. We don’t need you, your double standards, or your hypocrisy in this or any society.

Be the change you want to see in everyone.

Marcel Williams is a Michigan transplant thriving in Los Angeles and he loves his #HailHydra hashtag. Catch him on Twitter at @WHUTUPDOE.