Keke Palmer’s girl’s night out to see Usher and that amazing black sheer dress that sent her boyfriend Darius Jackson into Black Twitter purgatory has been the talk of the culture. Now WBC, IBF, and WBA welterweight boxing champion Errol Spence Jr. has something to say about it, but is it truth from a male perspective or adding fuel to an already smoldering perception of toxic masculinity about Keke’s choices?
“No man want to see his girl fanned out & crushing over another dude .. especially if he at home with the baby,” Spence tweeted with laughing while crying emoji.
On the surface, the tweet has truth, as most men are naturally territorial regarding their romantic partners. Add in a video with a very famous R&B singer playfully cuddling your partner while you are possibly at home attending to the child, and you have the makings of insecurity on steroids.
Oh, lest we forget, that partner is a public figure and the boyfriend is not.
Unpacking
The 29-year-old Palmer went to Usher’s Las Vegas residency as part of her celebratory mood since giving birth to her first child, a son named Leodis, in February. Palmer has been receiving kudos from women everywhere for her confidence post-pregnancy and putting on a sexy dress, and hanging with the girls at the Usher concert was part of her apparent self-care campaign.
However, her boyfriend didn’t take well to the outfit choice and was very publicly displeased, going to Twitter to express his thoughts.
After backlash from Twitter users claiming he was exerting toxic masculinity, Jackson doubled down on his beliefs, which did not go well with the Keke-hive.
“It’s the outfit tho … you a mom,” the 29-year-old posted.
Why’d He Do That?
“We live in a generation where a man of the family doesn’t want the wife & mother to his kids to showcase booty cheeks to please others & he gets told how much of a hater he is,” he wrote via Twitter, based on Palmer twirling with her backside briefly seen. “This is my family & my representation. I have standards & morals to what I believe. I rest my case.”
To the boxer who calls himself the “big fish,” this translated to Jackson feeling like Palmer was “fanned out & crushing over another dude,” and that implication itself that she potentially was feeling Usher could be problematic. Keke Palmer is an entertainer and more than likely knows Usher, or they are at least familiar with each other’s work.
The new mother was less trying to get with the singer and more enjoying the moment, so the tweet from Jackson and even Spence is more of an exposé of their insecurities than her potentially disrespecting her relationship or motherhood.
While Jackson is getting filed by the Twitter public, Spence might want to exit the chat to keep the “big fish” swimming and not on the hook.
