Keke Palmer’s boyfriend and father of her child, Darius Jackson (also known as Darius Daulton) has been criticised after he shamed the actress for an outfit she wore to an Usher concert. A clip of the actress being serenaded by Usher at his Las Vegas residency was shared on social media - and Keke's baby daddy was not thrilled.
Palmer wore a sheer black dress with a black bodysuit underneath and was seen dancing and hugging the singer whilst he sung to her. In response, Jackson took to Twitter and publicly called her out commenting, 'It's the outfit tho....you a mom.'
Once Twitter caught wind of his response, they instantly came to Keke Palmer's defence. One user commented, 'Possession doesn’t usually go well in relationships and you’re with an extremely famous person. Better grow thicker skin.' Another person said, 'So – she’s a new mom? And? She looks SO great and is having a great time. Instead of hyping up a new mama having fun, you chose to try and embarass her in front of the world? Why did you feel compelled to do such a thing?'
Jackson later doubled down on his opinion tweeting, 'We live in a generation where the man of the family doesn’t want the wife and mother to his kids to showcase booty cheeks to please others and he gets told how much of a hater he is.' He added, 'This is my family and my representation. I have standards and morals to what I believe. I rest my case.'
First of all, a man shouldn't be dictating how a woman dresses full stop. It's Keke's body and how she chooses to present herself to the world is her choice. The female body is policed all our lives. Women are told what to wear or what to eat to remain desirable, how to carry our bodies and use them and all the way down to whether we reproduce any children or not. From a young age this is instilled in us and over the years society has done little to progress past this harmful advice that being sexualised is within the woman’s control.
Bluntly put, if a man tries to dictate what you can and can’t wear, it’s a form of controlling behaviour. Whilst this may seem small or insignificant to some, controlling behaviour can quickly escalate and become all-consuming. Controlling behaviour can start with what you can and can’t wear but it may quickly turn into what you can and cannot eat and do and who you can and cannot see.
Dalton has also publicly questioned her ability as a mother. There is this misconception that as soon as a woman becomes a mother, she must change in order to fit society's idea of how a mother should act. Darius calling Keke out is just a reminder of how society often makes women feel like the moment they have a child - all autonomy is stripped. Men, on the other hand, are allowed to live without their bodies being subject to scrutiny and sexualisation by society, in fact, they are often the custodians of ensuring that women do not diverge from purity. It's worth noting that men never have their fatherhood weaponized or questioned in this way when they are having fun.
High expectations of motherhood can also come at a cost. Research has shown that women’s feelings of being pressured to be a perfect mother are related to increased maternal guilt and higher stress levels. A study by WaterWipes found that out of 13,000 parents around the world - 55% feel they are failing at the first year of parenthood—and mums are more likely to feel this way (60%) than dads (45%). Especially as a new mum, Keke deserves some grace.
Whilst no one is invalidating Darius' feelings, as 'the man of the house' there are certainly better ways he could have addressed his upset. To shame the mother of his child on a public platform was a step too far. Darius' deeper insecurities are clearly bubbling at the surface and his immature reaction to her outfit choices has proven it.
In 2023, why does how a woman chooses to present her body have to match up to men's idea of modesty?
Who is Darius Jackson? What does Darius Jackson do for a living?
Jackson, who also goes by Darius Daulton, works in both the fitness and entertainment industries. During his college days, Darius played American Football at Fresno State University. After graduating, he worked as an instructor at Inspire Fitness and is also currently working towards his acting career.
Who is Darius Jackson’s brother?
Darius is the brother of actor Sarunas J. Jackson. Sarunas has appeared in a number of big projects from HBO's Insecure to Freeform's Good Trouble.
How did Darius Jackson meet Keke Palmer?
Turns out, both Darius and Keke’s connection to Insecure ultimately led to their blossoming relationship. Keke—who made a brief cameo on the series during an episode of season 5—and Darius first became acquainted during a Memorial Day party in 2021 hosted by Insecure creator and star Issa Rae and rapper Diddy. And the rest is history!
How old is Darius Jackson?
Darius Jackson is 29-years-old. He was born on 1st December 1993.
How long have Darius Jackson and Keke Palmer been together ?
The couple have been dating since 2021. By that August, the two went Instagram official and the fitness instructor even dedicated a sweet tribute to his girlfriend on her birthday that year in a since-deleted post.
'Never would have expected summer 2021 to turn out the way it did, but here we are,' Darius began. 'I’m glad we were able to help each other throughout our lowest of times & show one another that what we are bringing to the table is everything that we got.'
After two years of dating the pair welcomed their son, Leodis “Leo” Andrellton Jackson in February this year.