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ATTACK: Tyson Beckford

‘Real fathers need to rise and be counted’ says model

Internationally famous male model Tyson Beckford has attacked black men who don’t want to be a father but just a “baby daddy.”

Speaking exclusively to The Voice newspaper at ThisDay music and fashion festival in Nigeria, the 37-year-old model, said: “ There are a lot of men who like to boast about how many children they have fathered, but don’t truly embrace what a father means. Instead they like to take on the title ‘baby daddy.”

The father of one, who was the first male model to be dubbed a ‘supermodel’ revealed: “Being a father is so important to me because I can not afford to mess-up. Messing-up means messing with my son’s future.”

The one-time Ralph Lauren pin-up, who also appeared in Britney Spears' Toxic filmclip and the 2001 box office smash Zoolander, continued: “My nine year-old, Jordan is a lot of fun because he is like me ten times over. Genetically he is faster, bigger and he is just a sports fanatic. He could play sports all day, everyday. He is all about basketball, football and baseball. He’s ball crazy.”

Beckford who is currently co-hosting the reality series Make Me A Supermodel on the television channel Living with fellow supermodel Niki Taylor stated: “it’s very important for black men like me to be a positive role model and I am not speaking as a model or actor but as a father because the media stereotypes black men as thugs, drug dealers and criminals or just athletes and there are so many more things that us black men are about.”

“Black men are the true fathers of the nation yet we are judged so negatively. Real fathers like me, need to rise and be counted for the sake of our children. It is our responsibility to dispel the myths that we are all losers or as you English say wasters.”

The 6’2” hunk whose multi-ethnic ancestry (Chinese Jamaican) is responsible for his "exotic" look, which made him a staple in the fashion world, said: “As an African American it’s important to embrace the Motherland. Our roots are from Africa and its imperative that the younger generation know where they are coming from in order to know where they are going.”

“We are now living in what is called the ‘lost generation’. A lot of the younger generation have lost their spiritual connection with Africa, which is really sad. They are too caught up in he superficial world of the West and by doing so they have become disconnected with their roots. Gone are the days when the black race united as one to fight for worthy causes. Everybody now views societal issues as other people’s problems until it affects them personally.”

Beckford who was named "Man of the Year" in 1995 as well as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People magazine added: “I came to Africa to support ThisDay music and fashion festival because I recognised that I could give back to a whole set of new people.

“ I advocate the saying Africans for Africa and I really promote the idea that descendants from Africa like myself need to come back home and promote and invest in Africa. We need to dispel the myth that Africa is this poverty stricken country when in truth it’s a beautiful rich continent of undiscovered wealth.”

Published: 28 July 2008
Issue: 1331

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