Melyssa Ford Says ‘Superhead’ A Bad Influence On Young Women

Hip-Hop/R&B video models Melyssa Ford and Karrine “Superhead” Steffans have both been able to gain mass recognition and transition that success into other careers, but Ford says the similarities end there. Ford, a Canadian-born model and host on Black Entertainment Television, said that Steffans’ best-seller “Confessions of a Video Vixen,” was sending a negative message […]

Hip-Hop/R&B video

models Melyssa Ford and Karrine “Superhead” Steffans have both been

able to gain mass recognition and transition that success into other careers,

but Ford says the similarities end there.

Ford, a Canadian-born model and host on Black Entertainment

Television, said that Steffans’ best-seller “Confessions of a Video

Vixen,” was sending a negative message to young girls.

“Her motivation for doing videos was for a stepping stone

to become bigger in the entertainment industry [and] to be promiscuous,”

Ford told AllHipHop.com. “The fact that her story is being sensationalized

right now sends a real bad message to little girls.”

Ford explained that young girls may not have the maturity to

comprehend adult themes contained in the book, which has sold over 110,000 copies

and is in its sixth print run.

“Confessions” records Steffans’ trials and

tribulation, but her sexual exploits have garnered the most attention for the

new author.

In a recent interview, Stefan’s explained that her book

started out as a personal journal, but evolved into a “cautionary tale”

for young women.

“I was going through so much and when I got to the other

side of it; I just had to kind of figure out what I had done,” Steffans

said during a recent interview with Ed Lover of New York’s Power 105.1

in New York.

Additionally, she said that her stories are backed up by eyewitness

accounts, police records, photos and other methods like her publisher’s

attorneys.

Ford said that she avoided many of the pitfalls that Steffans

confessed to in her book and found that they were quite different, despite some

career parallels.

“I try to

project a good message to the young girls, that you can use videos as stepping-stone

if you do it the right way,” Ford said. “You just look at it as

a job as a paycheck. You know don’t fraternize with the artist after hours

or in the trailer. Don’t make passes at the directors or the producers.

Do what you are asked to do, but respect yourself at the same time. Maintain

that level of etiquette and respect and you will have longevity in this industry.”

The controversy

surrounding “Confessions of a Video Vixen” has propelled the book

to the No. 7 position on the New York Times Best-Seller list.

Karrine Steffans

wrote the 265-page HarperCollins book with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist

Karen Hunter.