Kim Kardashian isn't exactly known for keeping things under wraps, but even she was unusually forthcoming in a recent interview on Oprah's Next Chapter. She discussed the appeal of her family's reality show ("I don't think it would've happened if we were all skinny pretty models [...] I think it has to do with us, the curves, the dark hair"), her failed marriage to Kris Humphries ("When we moved in together, I saw how our relationship was ... I don't want to get into the small things, but once we moved in, I knew he was not the one"), and even her infamous sex tape ("You know, I think that's how I was definitely introduced to the world").
The confession that's been getting the most buzz, though, was that Kim started using birth control at 14 years old -- with her mother Kris Jenner's full blessing.
Some might find this information to be shocking, but I think this was one of the most positive and responsible revelations Kim Kardashian could have possibly shared.
Teen pregnancy rates have been dropping dramatically in recent years, having reached an all time low in 2010 of 34.3 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19. As for what's behind the decrease in teen moms, the CDC claims the effective use at prevention messages has helped -- simply put, more teens are using contraception these days.
I'm sure there are lots of people who think Kim Kardashian should have been practicing abstinence when she was "almost 15," but personally, I believe her decision to talk with her mom -- and her mom's choice to help her -- was incredibly healthy and smart.
Kim was young, but she'd had the same boyfriend for two years, and had decided, right or wrong, that she wanted to lose her virginity with him. Instead of just going ahead and doing so with no thought for repercussions, she went to her mother for help:
I was like, "I think I’m going to, or I want to," and she was like, "OK, so this is what we’re gonna do, we’re gonna put you on birth control," and she was like, really open and honest with me.
Liberal use of the, like, language that, like, totally makes it sound as if she's still, like, 14 today aside, I have to give Kim major props for talking about this in such a public fashion. She's certainly going to earn a bunch of backlash about how she's a huge slut or whatever, but if more teenagers had this kind of relationship with their parents, we'd surely see even lower teen pregnancy rates.
Some kids are just going to choose to have sex, and there's no point in pretending that teaching abstinence will change that. With teen pregnancy costing an estimated $10.9 billion annually and reducing the mother's chance at getting her high school diploma to just 50 percent, unplanned pregnancies for young people is still a major issue in our country. (There are nine times more teen moms in the U.S. than other developed countries.)
I say Kudos to Kim K. for her honesty -- and I'd even go so far as to say bravery. I'm never going to be a fan of the Kardashian juggernaut, but I'm impressed with the things she said in this interview. (If not, like, necessarily the way she, you know, said them.)
What do you think about Kim Kardashian's birth control confession? Do you think she and her mom made a responsible decision?
Image via Flickr/David_Shankbone
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Comments 11
I completely agree with the first poster... while I myself wasn't ready for sex at 14, and the thought quite frankly terrified me - I had many friends that were sexually active, and had been for quite some time. While the saying 'the company that you keep' is usually a good indicator of what your child is up to, not always; so it's always good to have the best possible open and honest line of communication with your child so that when they do have questions, or that when they ARE ready, they'll be prepared. My mother was fantastic from an early age at talking to us and I intend to do the same with my children... that's just something you can't chance... liberal or conservative. Birth control is a wonderful invention!
I started BC when I was 12..right around the time I started my period. Obviously at the time it was for medical purposes but I kept on it and I'm glad my mother showed me that path. I intend on taking a similar approach with my daughter when the time comes.
when I was 14... guys to me were just play mates and nothing more. or maybe I'd like to think I was oblivious that late in the years to the bf/gf/sex thing, but at least at that age it was probably the furthest thing from my mind. now I'm far too aware of all that... lol
I had periods that were crazy (and still do because now I'm ttc) where I wouldn't have it for 6 months and then i'd bleed for 6 weeks. I don't care how old my daughter is when the time comes, if she wants birth control I'll get her set up with it because at least she's being responsible.