In the late 1970s, a Jamaican beauty queen found herself at the center of a massive scandal. Soon after she was crowned Miss World in 1976, Cindy Breakspeare began a relationship with reggae icon Bob Marley, who was already married with children. After the birth of their son, Damian “Junior Gong” Marley, in 1978, their affair became an international scandal. 

Nearly five decades later, Ashley St. Clair, a 28-year-old conservative influencer, made headlines with her own high-profile controversy. On Valentine’s Day, she revealed that Elon Musk was the father of her five-month-old child.

Both Cindy and Ashley were young and ambitious women in the media spotlight. Both were under intense scrutiny, yet their approaches were very different. As a Gen Xer reflecting on these two stories, I see a stark generational divide: Breakspeare’s long-term view contrasts sharply with St. Clair’s public, frantic battle. I wondered if younger people today are perhaps cut off from the cautionary tales that helped guide my generation.

Cindy Breakspeare

Cindy Breakspeare’s scandalous affair hit the international headlines and it hit especially hard in a Jamaica still reeling from post-colonial trauma. There, whiteness often conferred higher social status and as a white woman in a predominantly Black society, Breakspeare’s 1976 Miss World win gave her added prestige. But her relationship with Bob Marley—a married Black man—sparked outrage among black women feminists. The birth of Damian in 1978 was shocking in a culture where children born out of wedlock faced severe stigma in the church, community, and social systems. Children born to unmarried parents were even bullied or othered by their own family members. They carried this trauma into adulthood.

Breakspeare understood the implications of the backlash and because of that, chose to prioritise her son’s future. She framed a positive father-son relationship for the public. By showing photographs of baby Damian with his father, she planted the seed which would later help to launch his musical career. At 13, with the group the Shephards, Damian opened the 1992 Reggae Sunsplash festival. Breakspeare’s strategy paid off. Damian is now a reggae superstar in his own right, with five Grammy Awards. By looking far beyond her immediate notoriety, Breakspeare secured Damian’s legacy amid a crushing scandal. 

Breakspeare’s approach was shaped by the historical context of the 1970s. But even without the internet or social media, she openly shared the story of her romance with Bob Marley whenever the press came calling. This allowed her to later bring the focus on her son in spite of public criticism. As a Gen Xer, I learned from high-profile cases like this one. At school, we exchanged stories we heard about public figures. While sharing insights and opinions with friends, we figured out how to avoid problems like these. Not that we were perfect or ideal in any way, but Cindy Breakspeare’s public lashings taught us the value of discretion in private affairs. This lesson seems lost on many young people.

Ashley St. Clair 

Fast forward to today, and Ashley St. Clair’s story unfolds in a radically different era. She filed a paternity lawsuit against Musk demanding sole custody of their child. The lawsuit alleges that Musk neglected their child and “financially retaliated” against her social media callouts by reducing support. Musk admitted to paying her $2.5 million upfront and $500,000 annually, but he says he is uncertain of the child’s paternity. He is saying he doesn’t need to be legally compelled.

Despite the backlash, St. Clair is still attempting to resolve her hurt feelings by amplifying the drama on social media. Her first mistake was sharing Musk’s private Signal messages. This prompted people to call her out for hypocrisy, given her claim she wanted privacy. Laura Loomer’s recent X post detailed St. Clair’s alleged “price”—$2.5 million down payment, $100,000 car payment, $500,000 a year for baby expenses and jewelry, and $40,000 a month for a luxury NYC apartment. This post painted her as a gold digger. The public backlash on X was swift due to St. Clair’s focus on receiving a substantial financial windfall. People don’t trust her because of how she smeared an intimate partner. Compare this with Breakspeare’s focus on the positive aspects of her relationship with Marley.

Why Ashley is cancelling herself 

St. Clair, born in 1997 on the cusp of Millennials and Gen Z, grew up with technology and social media. Her world is sculpted by trending topics, and identity expression is more important than work ethic. It makes sense she would want to be seen and heard on platforms like X. Her reliance on immediate, digital validation might have cut her off from the lessons Gen Xers learned through observation and experience. St. Clair’s generation doesn’t feel that they need to look to the past for guidance. They’re caught up in the monetisation of viral posts and attention through public feuds. Quick wins take priority over building lasting legacies.

The modern media exacerbates this problem. In 1978, Breakspeare bore the full weight of social condemnation in the public eye, and perhaps a wise person told her to control the story by only talking about her romantic relationship with Bob Marley. For St. Clair, the decision to pose provocatively and reveal private messages with a former partner set public opinion against her almost immediately. Perhaps this was negotiated in order for her to get her story published in the press. And the pressure for to remain professionally relevant outweighed the benefits of watching and waiting. In light of the messages exchanged between them, it might have been difficult for St. Clair to stay silent on Valentine’s Day. On that day, Musk was at the White House introducing the mother of four of his children to Prime Minister Modi of India.  

A Missed Opportunity

Gen Xers are middle distance runners on the path of life. And we may have a unique perspective because we have run far enough to see the pitfalls in the past and future. But younger generations aren’t listening. They’re too impatient to learn from the mistakes that shaped our understanding of the world.

St. Clair risks harming her child’s future. If she had access to Breakspeare’s story, she might have focused on securing Musk’s support in private while building her own brand. Then after presenting the child in public, she could focus the story on the positive relationship between Musk and their child. She also missed an opportunity to leverage her access. There are plenty of financial benefits tied to Musk’s business and social networks. This is a strategy that would have worked without having a baby. Common sense should have warned her that Musk has a stable of lawyers who work around the clock to fight off opportunists. 

Bridging the Gap

The latest scandal shows us what happens when we lack historical wisdom. Gen Xers learned from cautionary tales because our absent parents told us to figure things out if we ever got in trouble. Nowadays, younger people repeat the mistakes made by others if they see a potential for massive social media engagement. But I don’t agree with that approach. It so important for us as human beings to maintain our dignity. Perhaps more of us can share stories like these so young people can find effective solutions for the challenges they face. They shouldn’t need to degrade themselves in the relentless pursuit of fame.