Kim Kardashian: queen of selfies, wife of Kanye, mum of two and, dare I say, feminist? In recent years, feminism has become a hot topic and, damn straight; us ladies have the right to equality and all the same rights our male counterparts have and we are getting there, slowly but surely.
Love her or loathe her, with close to 100 million Instagram followers it's fair to say that Kim has a lot of fans but with this comes great responsibility. Sure, she may be a free woman but does that mean she doesn’t have to spare a thought for the thousands of under eighteens that feel inspired by her and how her actions could be fuelling the rise in childhood depression and major body insecurities? Last year, when Kim posted a naked selfie on her Instagram account, she was instantly criticised. I mean, wouldn’t it be odd if some idiot didn't have something to say about one of the Kardashian/Jenner clan? Kim, in true selfie-queen style, then retaliated to the haters with a string of naked selfies claiming they ‘empowered’ her. Now, to me, when I think of the word ‘empowerment’, the first thing that springs to mind isn't a naked body, it's the Oprah Winfrey’s and Lena Dunham’s of the world who fight for women's rights and encourage women to make a stand in the world. That is empowerment. But we could say that although she’s not bellowing from a rooftop: 'I HAVE TITS, I HAVE RIGHTS!', Mrs Kardashian-West’s body is mighty fine and encourages women to be body positive for all shapes and sizes (cause fyi: skinny shaming is just as awful as fat shaming, but that's a whole other story), but empowerment? Really Kim?
Maybe Kim didn't break the internet, but maybe she's broken something very different… The barriers of what conforms to feminist standards.
I asked two women with very different opinions on the Kardashians and feminism and their responses were both so incredible that I myself have no idea what my opinion on this whole topic is anymore! I chatted to Shannon; she's a mum too but that's about the only thing she has in common with Mrs Kardashian-West because she believes that, unlike Kim, ‘the power of the female body and feminism is not just about embracing your body but empowering it’ and feels that Kim doesn’t need to post these naked selfies as ‘they’re just sexualising females’. “Nakedness of the female body should be something a woman feels empowered to keep just for the person she loves, not out of oppression but because she's confident to know that she is worth more than just her body. It's supposed to be about procreation and celebrating the way in which a woman creates life and celebrating love in a generation of loveless relationships. Females should be celebrated for their minds. Body shaming is not about shaming a woman because she is naked, it's about the woman losing power over her own body because she's decided to reveal it to the world. I don't believe that Kim Kardashian did her 'naked selfie' for empowerment because the naked body appeals to the heterosexual male population, not the female. It doesn't show she is embracing her body, it shows that she is being sexualised and that's not what she should be celebrated for. A woman should be comfortable enough in her own body to NOT need to get naked to show she is empowered; rather in the very fact that she doesn't get naked for just anyone, shows she has power and control over her own body.”
However I then messaged one of my girls across the pond on Twitter, Victoria, and she is a huge Kardashian fan and body enthusiast. She says that Kim’s body is ‘a big part of her image’ and that ‘people are too quick to judge on whoever they can to cover for their own insecurities’. “I personally love Kim and her image. I think that girls own the right to control what they do with their own body, they get to do with it what they please and I feel like people just really love to hate on Kim. The public has seen celebrities like Rihanna do naked shoots and make nude fashion statements and it's the same thing but nobody was publicly slut-shaming Rihanna for it; they were calling it art. I think that if you don't agree with being naked then that's your opinion but to hate on her and trash her isn't acceptable. Her body is a big part of her image in the public eye and always has been; just because she has become a mother, she shouldn’t feel obliged to end that image and re-brand as a mother-figure. No other human on the planet should say what a women can and can’t do with her body when guys can post pictures with shirts off and no pants on all the time and nobody says anything but if a certain girl does it then it's so wrong. I just think it's easier to call a woman a slut rather than supporting her and accepting her for her confidence!”
Although a huge following of Kim’s ‘haters’ might detest Victoria’s statement, I kinda have to agree. She totally is a free woman so why the heck do people have such a prolific problem with Mrs Kardashian-West when hundreds of celebs, past and present, have posed naked for shoots and for ‘art’? I for one have to say that I love to follow Kim and her Kardashian/Jenner clan. It is totally okay to be a feminist and stand for women’s rights but does that give us the right to drag another woman online for being proud of her body? Uh… no.
However, here’s a curve-ball for you… empowerment? When there are a million and one of us throwing this great word about, what does it actually mean? Just a quick google search will bombard you with information but here’s what really stood out to me: “'Women Empowerment' refers to the creation of an environment for women where they can make decisions of their own for their personal benefits as well as for the society.” And you know what? I think Kim Karsashian-West is allll that. She didn't delete her selfies when she was inundated with trolls calling her everything from an 'unfit mother' to 'a whore' because she made her own god damn decision to show women that, 'hey, if you wanna take off your clothes and take selfies for the world to see, so be it!' and I have to say, she's got balls for that!
Everyone thinks she’s all boobs and butt and that, along with the infamous sex tape, is the only thing she's famous for but with Kim, it’s a lot more than meets the eye. She’s a business woman, fashion designer, model and beauty connoisseur, with a number one game on the app store, a beauty line, fashion line and a TV show. So before you go and slut-shame Kim/one of the Kardashian’s/Jenner’s/anyone for that matter, have a little moment to think of what they have achieved in their lives and I don't know maybe keep the nasty opinions to yourself? Or if you just HAVE to post a comment on her Instagram, why does it have to throw shade at her for being an awful mother? Why can't it be more along the lines of, 'Hey Kim, I think you're setting a really shitty example for the younger generation and i'm not about that life.' rather than 'you're a jumped up *bleep* who sucked *bleep* to get famous. You're a shitty mum and i'm glad you got robbed'. (Actual comment btw!) Just a funny little thought for the day maybe…
