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Mothers Who Are Mothering

A Celeb-Inspired Mother’s Day Gift Guide

When it’s time to shop for Mother’s Day, I’m always left feeling a little…basic. I mean, sure, my mom will love anything I get her (I hope) but it’s redundant to continue buying her the same candle and flower bouquet combo year after year.

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In between posting dance videos, chaotic lip syncs, and performing a social experiment on Ice Spice to completely replicate her, North West is certainly TikTok’s busiest nepo baby. At all hours of the day, you can find @kimandnorth alive on the app. Whether it be North forcing Kim Kardashian to do dances created by Charli D’Amelio or posting sped-up videos of Drunk Elephant products – it’s wild.

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Culture Feature

Kim and Kanye's Difficult Week: Meek Mill, Divorce, Abortion, and Mental Health

Kim Kardashian urges compassion as her husband's struggle with bipolar disorder becomes increasingly public.

'I almost killed my daughter:' Kanye West tells emotional story of nearly aborting first child

Kanye West is having a hard time right now.

His recent string of worrying behavior seemingly reached new heights in the early hours of Wednesday morning in a series of tweets that have since been deleted. In the tweets, Kanye accused his wife, Kim Kardashian, along with mother-in-law, Kris Jenner (whom Kanye nicknamed "Kris Jong-Un" after North Korea's infamous dictator), of attempting to have him committed: "They tried to fly in with 2 doctors to 51/50 me."

5150 refers to a California law regulating involuntary commitment to a psychiatric facility. In another deleted tweet on Monday, Kanye had compared his situation to the movie Get Out, saying, "Kim was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up like on the movie Get Out because I cried about saving my daughters [sic] life."

Kanye Meek mill tweet

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TV

Children of Celebrities: Famous Without Their Consent

Kylie Jenner's recent birthday shout out to Travis Scott was just the tip of the iceberg.

Over the weekend, in what was meant to appear as a grand gesture of love for her husband, Kylie Jenner rented out a massive billboard in Los Angeles's West Hollywood neighborhood to wish Travis Scott a happy birthday.

The billboard featured a gigantic black and white image of the couple's 14-month-old daughter, Stormi, alongside another photo of Jenner seductively posing with the child. "Happy birthday daddy," the billboard read. While Scott's birthday wasn't until Tuesday, Jenner continued to celebrate her husband's big day through the weekend. An Avengers party was thrown in his honor, and Jenner made sure to post a cute photo of the cake, which had little figurines of the family customized to look like superheroes. Then, following the premiere of Endgame last Friday, the family dressed up in bright costumes, with Stormi getting her own standalone Instagram post as a miniature Thor.

It's all but impossible to escape the media frenzy that surrounds celebrity babies. Beyoncé broke the internet when she announced that she was pregnant with twins in 2017 with an over-the-top pregnancy photo on Instagram that became the app's most liked photo of 2017. In what was almost definitely an ad for the Clearblue pregnancy kit, Nickelodeon star Daniella Monet announced she was pregnant in a photo with husband Andrew Gardner holding up a test that read a positive result. Kelly Rowland posted a picture of tiny Air Jordans next to Big Air Jordans, Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum posted a "cryptic" photo of three pink ballerina tutu's on Instagram, and let's not forget Kim Kardashian announcing her pregnancy with both North and Chicago West on her scripted "reality" tv show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

Meanwhile, DJ Khaled's exploitation of his son Ashad continues to make headlines. From curating an Instagram account for the toddler (which currently has 1.9 million followers), to putting him on the cover of Paper Magazine and bringing him in front of the camera at almost every available opportunity, Khaled's capitalization on his son has led to a running line of hilarious memes, whose overlying narrative is Ashad's annoyance and borderline hatred of his father. Khaled's new album is also set to be called Father of Ashad, and he lists his son as an "executive producer." Kylie Jenner, meanwhile, took a more "subtle" approach for her announcement, and waited until Stormi had been born before dropping a long, highly-edited and melodramatic "dedication video."

Pop culture's obsession with the children of celebrities has been a phenomenon for years, but more often than not leads to grave consequences for the famous children themselves. For example, Michael Jackson's eldest daughter recently entered rehab to get a grip on her "emotional and physical wellbeing." On the other side of the spectrum, children who become famous in their own right at young age suffer in the spotlight equally as much, if not more. Justin Bieber and Amanda Bynes suffered mental breakdowns, the former recently taking a hiatus from music to "[focus] on some of his deep-rooted issues." When celebrities promote their pregnancies and children for publicity, it calls into question whether the child's wellbeing is the priority. Time and again the public pities and shakes their head at the number of child stars and children of stars that end up spinning off, yet it's nearly impossible for a child to develop their own identity when that identity is tied into public perception of who they should be.

Even so, there are still plenty of amazing parents who acknowledge the risk of raising a child in the public eye and raise their children with that in mind. Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard both agreed early on to keep their children out of the scrutinous eye of the media, and have since made sure they never share photos, or engage with paparazzi or fans when with their children. "We're not saying that we can't be newsworthy. We're saying that our child is not newsworthy," Bell said in an interview. "We chose to be the entertainers, so we never post...we've posted nothing...and we don't plan to." Cardi B and Offset also rarely share updates on their child. "I want to go to the beach with baby, I want to take a stroll down the street, and I can't because I don't know who's next to me and who has certain intentions," Cardi B said. Halle Berry famously has never shared any updates on her children, although paparazzi often sneak a photo or two. "It's my belief, and I'm not criticizing others who have different beliefs, that it's my job as their mother to protect their privacy as best I can."

As social media and reality TV continues to give the public closer looks into the lives of celebrities, maybe it's time for those celebrities to put their kids well being above their brands.


Mackenzie Cummings-Grady is a creative writer who resides in the Brooklyn area. Mackenzie's work has previously appeared in The Boston Globe, Billboard, and Metropolis Magazine. Follow him on Twitter @mjcummingsgrady.


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CULTURE

The Vacant, Sparkly Capitalism of JoJo Siwa

Siwa recently babysat North West.

Jojo Siwa via YouTube

YouTube mogul and hair-bow-enthusiast, JoJo Siwa, has managed to create a sparkly, neon-colored empire at just 15 years old.

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Bios

Kim Kardashian West

All you need to know

Full Name: Kimberly Noel Kardashian West

Date of Birth: October 21, 1980

Born: Los Angeles, CA

Occupation: Reality television personality, businesswoman, model

Status: Married to Kanye West (2014)

Children: 3

"Keeping up" has never been so kool. When it's Kim Kardashian West you're trying to keep up with, staying abreast of her latest and greatest and best and brightest is always a challenge. But every moment is worth watching. From Paris Hilton's sidekick to Kanye West's 'Wonder Woman,' Kardashian West is one of today's modern marvels, with more fame than she could have ever dreamed of and more money than we could only dream we had.

Reality Royalty

The E! network couldn't have predicted that their concept to follow the ups and downs of the Kardashian family would be such a mind-blowing money-maker. Watching the Kardashian-Jenner clan for 15 (yes, 15!) seasons has been a guilty pleasure for millions of fans who make Keeping Up With The Kardashians a must-see, be it brand new shows or reruns that seem to air 24/7.

We've watched the family as they've had multiple marriages, boatloads of babies, new looks (some concocted in the doctor's chair), and as they've embarked on new careers and entered (and exited) relationships. Kardashian West started out as the central "character" of the show, but as the seasons have developed, various family members have stolen the spotlight. From little sister Kylie Jenner's road from teen to new mom/business mogul to step-dad's eye-opening transformation from Bruce to Caitlyn, and every monumental moment that made history for the rest of the family, the reality show is a "love it or hate it" piece of pop culture history, and it's still going strong.

The Sex Tape That Started it All

In 2003, Kardashian West was in a relationship with Ray J. Like everyday couples looking for ways to spice up their sex lives, the two created a sex tape – something Kardashian West could have never known would be seen worldwide…or did she? A 2007 leak put the steamy session out there for all the internet to ogle, giving us a glimpse into more of Kardashian West than we'd ever expect to encounter. The tape catapulted the California native into the spotlight. Less than a year after the leak, E! picked up Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and the rest is history. Embarrassing? Perhaps. But the fame and fortune outweigh the awkwardness. Although Ray J must be wondering why he isn't nearly as rich as his former roll-in-the-hay partner is.

Breaking the Internet

Kardashian West is well-known for posting racy selfies and posing for provocative photo shoots. She's all about flaunting her ample curves, proving that thin is no longer "in" and a shapely figure is nothing short of fabulous. Not only is she gorgeous, but willing to go the extra mile to capture snapshots that ooze sex appeal. Even as a new mom, nothing will stop Kardashian West from simmering in her sexuality, and as long as she continues to keep her body looking its best, we can expect the pics to keep popping up.

One of Kardashian West's most notable photo moments came in 2014 in a cover shot for Paper magazine. In an "is that Photoshopped?" pose that seemed to defy gravity, Kardashian West effectively "broke the internet" by seeing her pic go viral. #BreakingTheInternet was the hottest hashtag, making Paper the must-read mag of the moment.

Tragic Robbery

Flaunting her jewels on Instagram and boasting about lavish trips and other luxuries made Kardashian West a target for trouble. While in Paris in October of 2016, robbers dressed as police broke into Kardashian West's hotel room and held her at gunpoint. Millions of dollars in jewelry was stolen, including her blindingly "blingy" engagement ring. The star was left terrified and traumatized, but she wasn't physically harmed and eventually the criminals were caught. The incident changed how Kardashian West behaved on social media from then on and gave her a new perspective on what's important.

Doting Mom

Kardashian West and husband Kanye have three children – North, Saint, and Chicago. All have been seen on the reality show, and they are adorable. We watched Kardashian West go through her two pregnancies on television, and learned about the couple's choice to select a surrogate (gestational carrier) to help them have their third child due to medical issues Kardashian West was experiencing. Now a "party of five," the Wests seem to have the perfect family.

What's next for Kardashian West?

Who could guess what this powerful woman will put her mind to in the future? She's a savvy businesswoman with brands including her Kimojis and KKW Beauty. Her "momager" Kris Jenner will make sure her "favorite child" continues to prosper. Worth $175 million, Kardashian West is loaded, but she's set to keep her income on the upswing. Will we still watch Keeping Up With The Kardashians for another 15 seasons? If the drama doesn't die out, we'll tune in.


Melissa A. Kay is a New York-based writer, editor, and content strategist. Follow her work on Popdust as well as sites including TopDust, Chase Bank, P&G, Understood.org, The Richest, GearBrain, The Journiest, Bella, TrueSelf, Better Homes & Gardens, AMC Daycare, and more.



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