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Why Blac Chyna Shouldn't Be Shamed For Her Choice To Start A Family

by Becky Bracken

Kardashian fans started yelling via Twitter about "family values" after news of Blac Chyna's pregnancy (shorty after her equally-as-unexpected engagement) with Rob Kardashian hit the web. It's been depressing to watch people slam, slut shame, and diss the soon-to-be Angela Kardashian for allegedly being a reality-TV platinum digger because she's marrying and having a baby with someone she loves. And, true to sexist double standards, Rob — who seems incredibly happy about the pregnancy — hasn't been shamed or ridiculed like Chyna has. Blac Chyna shouldn't be shamed for starting a family. Chyna and Rob are grown people who decided get get hitched and have a kid. Why should that bother anyone? But that kind of clear, simple logic hasn't appealed to most of the Internet.

Chyna's rise to fame didn't start with the Kardashians. Sylvia Obell wrote an incredible, in-depth dive into Chyna's past and how, through sheer smarts and hustle, she has risen from King of Diamonds dancer to become a powerful force in her own right, being featured in Kanye West's "Monster" video and building her own makeup business. She fell in love with Tyga, had a baby with him, and then he broke up with her and began dating Kylie Jenner. Social media wars ensued, putting the once-very friendly Chyna and Kardashians/Jenners at odds. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Chyna and Rob went public with their love, engagement, and pregnancy in just a handful of weeks. And the Internet lost its mind.

Of course it's way juicier to explain the sudden development in Kardashian-land with the tired sexist trope about the conniving stripper luring Rob into her ultimate revenge plot. Why is it so hard to believe the sensitive, vulnerable Rob would be attracted to the tough beauty? And why do people feel entitled to insult and ridicule someone for getting married and having a baby? Does Chyna being a stripper somehow exclude her from having a happy family? That's definitely rhetorical, because, no, of course it doesn't.

People really went nuts when Chyna trademarked her married name "Angela Renee Kardashian" for business purposes, adding even more fuel to the "gold digger" charge. But, in reality, Chyna's most high-profile splurge has been the Nissan she bought for her mom.

And now that she's at the point in her pregnancy where she's starting to show, Chyna gets to add body shaming to the list of reasons people love to talk badly about her. Nice.

And don't forget the pregnancy shaming.

But, all the while, Chyna keeps marching forward, head held high and ready to take on all the haters, and for that she totally gets my respect. Because, really, hate isn't a new thing for her. At the 2015 Video Music Awards, she and Amber Rose wore those outfits printed with hateful words that people have said to them. It was so brave and fierce.

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Chyna's a strong woman who, through work and determination, has earned an incredible social media and fan following and even her own Drake song shout-outs. She's helping her sock entrepreneur become healthier and work through all the emotional stuff that's kept him estranged from his family. And it looks like it's working. Rob, by all appearances, is happy, loves Chyna, thinks she's a great mother, and seems genuinely thrilled to be have a baby with her. So what exactly is the problem?

Chyna hasn't done anything to anyone that should cause people to have such anger toward her, besides being a former stripper, and shaming her for that is absurd and unnecessary (because, again, she's a grown woman who can make her own decisions). Certainly if she wanted to marry a rich guy, there are plenty of men out there who have bigger bank accounts than Rob, and she's always had plenty of men interested in her. As is too often the case, everyone seems to take the most glee in mean-spirited words on the woman — not on Rob and not on Tyga — and it's crap.

Sure, standing up to hate from millions of strangers on social media is something Chyna remarkably has been able to master because it happens so often that she's been forced to adapt. It's a skill she's had to develop — deflecting people who are saying terrible things to her. Is that right? Is that the price she's supposed to pay for becoming famous after being a stripper (the horror!) and daring to get married and have a family? I refuse to accept that that's a price anyone should have to pay. #TeamAngelaReneeKardashian