Kim Kardashian is no stranger to breaking the Internet with her voluptuous body, and the reality TV titan did the deed, once again, this week when she posted a nude selfie of herself and set fire to what has become a blaze of Internet talk, celebrity shade and debate about female empowerment vs. female objectification. Now, Kardashian has weighed in on the matter with an open letter blasting the idea of body-shaming women.
As previously reported, the drama all began on Monday when Kim posted a nude selfie of herself in her bathroom from a year ago.
After sharing the photo, Kim was blasted by some fans for showing off her body. But what was most surprising was the fact that Kim was also publicly criticized by Bette Midler, Piers Morgan and Grace Chloe Moretz. Midler joked about the nude photo, Moretz criticized Kim for sending a bad example to young girls about their worth, and Morgan joked that Kim was stripping down to help pay off her husband, Kanye West’s, massive debt. He also wrote a column challenging Kim to prove she can be successful without taking her clothes off.
Surprisingly, Kim (or perhaps her husband under the guise of his wife) decided to fire back at the celebs in a series of shady tweets.
Yesterday, Kim decided to take a step back from the shade and penned an open letter in celebration of International Women’s Day. In the letter, Kim explained that she didn’t understand how people could call her a bad role model for the nude photo when she hasn’t done anything to harm anybody else.
“I don’t do drugs, I hardly drink, I’ve never committed a crime—and yet I’m a bad role model for being proud of my body?” Kim wrote.
She then claimed that part of the problem is the stigma that’s followed her ever since her career-launching sex tape with Ray J was released years ago. She claims that fans won’t stop hyper-sexualizing her and reducing her to what she’s done on camera.
“It always seems to come back around to my sex tape. Yes, a sex tape that was made 13 years ago. 13 YEARS AGO. Literally that lonnng ago. And people still want to talk about it?!?!” Kim wrote. “I lived through the embarrassment and fear, and decided to say who cares, do better, move on. I shouldn’t have to constantly be on the defense, listing off my accomplishments just to prove that I am more than something that happened 13 years ago.”
Kim then explained that she’s proud of her body and that she feels empowered to be able to show off her naked body to the world because it helps other women feel proud of their bodies, as well: “I am empowered by my body. I am empowered by my sexuality. I am empowered by feeling comfortable in my skin. I am empowered by showing the world my flaws and not being afraid of what anyone is going to say about me. And I hope that through this platform I have been given, I can encourage the same empowerment for girls and women all over the world.”
Kim then explained the source of her pride in being a woman and shared that she wants to create a world where her daughter, North West, can be proud to flaunt her body without the fear of dealing with body-shaming or slut-shaming.
“I feel so lucky to have grown up surrounded by strong, driven, independent women. The life lessons I’ve learned from my sisters, my mother and my grandmother, I will pass along to my daughter. I want her to be proud of who she is. I want her to be comfortable in her body. I don’t want her to grow up in a world where she is made to feel less-than for embracing everything it means to be a woman,” Kim wrote.
“It’s 2016. The body-shaming and slut-shaming—it’s like, enough is enough. I will not live my life dictated by the issues you have with my sexuality. You be you and let me be me,” Kim continued. “I am a mother. I am a wife, a sister, a daughter, an entrepreneur and I am allowed to be sexy.”
Granted, we can see where Kim is coming from with the idea that all women should be safe and confident enough to show off their pride in their bodies. However, it’s hard to separate Kim from her sexual history when her career is built on her being a sex symbol and she’s often showing herself off in such a sexualized manner.
Do you agree with Kim? Let us know what you think in the comments.
