Rapper T.I. slammed by celebs over graphic ‘virginity’ test

Whatever You Like rapper T.I. is facing widespread criticism after revealing the graphic annual inspection he forces his teenage daughter to undergo.

Rapper T.I. might just be the world’s least favourite dad.

His comments about his daughter Deyjah Harris’ hymen sparked outrage. And it’s a topic celebs and casual observers were quick to note he had no business discussing it in the first place.

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The 39-year-old Whatever You Like singer said during an interview with the podcast Ladies Like Us he was certain his daughter Deyjah Harris, 18, hadn’t had sex because “we have yearly trips to the gynaecologist to check her hymen”.

T.I. with daughters Deyjah (left) and Heiress Harris. Picture: Prince Williams/Wireimage

“Right after the birthday, we celebrate … usually the day after the party, she’s enjoying her gifts … I put a sticky note on the door, ‘Gyno, tomorrow, 9.30’,” he went on in the shocking, now-deleted interview. “I will say, as of her 18th birthday, her hymen is still intact.”

The questionable comments elicited a resounding “WTF” from nearly every soul on the internet, famous or otherwise. The so-called “virginity test” is a long-debunked myth surrounding chastity. The hymen is a thin tissue in the vaginal entrance that sometimes stretches open during a person’s first time having sex. The misunderstanding among T.I. and others is, if a person were sexually active, the tissue wouldn’t be intact.

Taking a step back, as model Chrissy Teigen did, the hymen even coming up in the news at all was shocking: “Def did not think we would be talking about hymens today. or TI,” she tweeted.

alright it's time to mute "hymen"

— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) November 7, 2019

She and others with large followings sought to set the record straight on T.I.’s uninformed ritual with his daughter — which, on its own is a whole other issue. Musician Iggy Azalea pointed out in a now-deleted tweet: “Really I wish the women who interviewed him would have said something to him. He has serious control issues with women in all aspects of his life.”

Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi added in a tweet, “The double standard of the patriarchy is truly insane. Young women are fully capable of making their own informed decisions about their bodies and their sexuality.”

The double standard of the patriarchy is truly insane. Young women are fully capable of making their own informed decisions about their bodies and their sexuality. pic.twitter.com/qJJE4AV130

— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) November 6, 2019

Actress Ellen Barkin put it bluntly: “I have bad news for T.I.,” she tweeted. “After 6 months of vaginal sex … my hymen broke.”

I have bad news for T.I.

After 6 months of vaginal sex...my hyman broke.

— Ellen Barkin (@EllenBarkin) November 6, 2019

This is horrible on so many levels. Let me educate you all about the hymen 1/12 https://t.co/fJHWIOg7sz

— Jennifer Gunter (@DrJenGunter) November 6, 2019

And celebrity gynaecologist Dr. Jen Gunter shot off a lengthy thread in the hopes of clearing up the myth.

“The hymen is no virginity indicator, 50% of sexually active teens do not have a disrupted hymen. The hymen is often very flexible,” she wrote.

But not everyone came out so strongly against T.I. On Power 105.1’s Breakfast Club, hosts DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God said they thought T.I. was just being an active father. Their co-host on the show, Angela Yee, quickly disagreed — a move that listeners praised on Twitter.

And in case anyone was wondering what T.I.’s daughter has to say about her father escorting her to the gynaecologist every year for the invasive procedure — while she didn’t comment, she did “like” tweets calling her father possessive, disgusting and controlling.

This article originally appeared on the NY Post and was reproduced with permission