Over the past few days it has become nearly impossible to get away from updates on the Kim Kardashian nude photo debacle. Some of our favorite celebrities are dissing her, while others speak out to support her, and Kardashian herself has been busy replying to responses all over both Twitter and Instagram.
For those who may be unaware, this whole thing started on Sunday when Kim K posted a nude photo on her Instagram and Twitter feed. Kardashian chose to censor the photo herself, putting black bars over her nipples and genitals. Accompanying the photo was a joking caption that read "When you're like I have nothing to wear LOL."
Once the photo was posted it didn't take long before Kim began receiving backlash. Most notably, Bette Midler, Piers Morgan, and Chloe Grace Moretz took to their respective Twitters to "call out" the reality star, as it were.
Midler took the route of joking about Kardashian's history of showing her body saying, "Kim Kardashian tweeted a nude selfie today. If Kim wants us to see a part of her we've never seen, she's gonna have to swallow the camera." Morgan joked about Kardashian's husband, Kanye West, and asked if he needed to buy her some clothes. Moretz's response came in the form of a statement about what she perceives to be Kim's responsibility as a role model:
"I truly hope you realize how important setting goals are for young women, teaching them we have so much more to offer than just our bodies."
Later, after receiving her own share of criticism from Twitter users telling her she was "slut-shaming," Moretz added:
"There's a huge difference in respecting the platform that you're given as a celebrity and 'slut shaming' something I never have done and would never do."
Even Pink seemed to have a response to the photo. While she never addressed Kardashian directly, the following tweet definitely appeared to be directed her way:
"Shout out to all of the women, across the world, using their brains, their strength, their work ethic, their talent, their ‘magic’ that they were born with, that only they possess. It may not ever bring you as much ‘attention’ or bank notes as using your body, your sex, your tits and asses, but women like you don’t need that kind of ‘attention.' In the quiet moments, you will feel something deeper than the fleeting excitement resulting from attention, you will feel something called pride and self respect. Keep on resisting the urge to cave. You’ll never have to make silly excuses for yourself."
On the opposite side, many celebs came to Kardashian defense, including Ariel Winter and Amber Rose. Winter pointed out what she saw as hypocrisy and double standards about gender, saying "No one was body shaming @justinbieber when he posted his nude guitar photo so why @KimKardashian? #herbodyherchoice #InternationalWomensDay." She later added: "I think everyone, men and women, should have the right to choose what they do with their bodies – and not be criticized."
Amber Rose's response was directed at Pink specifically:
"Pink we were all born naked society sexualizes our breast and bodies. If a grown mother of 2 is comfortable with her body and wants to show it off that's none of ur business or anyone else's. Now, if u wanna talk to kids and be a mentor to young teens, tell them to go to school and to not use their bodies to get ahead?! I'm all for it! But please as a grown woman let another grown woman live as she wishes. That's our problem! We're so quick to down each other instead of uplifting!"
Now that we've completed the required backstory, let's get into what all of this means.
What this whole thing comes down to is Kim K. It comes down to what makes her feel confident and sexy in her own skin. If posting a nude photo on Instagram genuinely helps her feel confident and proud, that's all that matters.
Moretz wants Kardashian to think of herself as a role model and adjust her decisions and behaviors accordingly. But Kardashian has never said or implied that a woman's worth only comes from how attractive her body is. She has simply advocated for women and girls to feel confident in who they are. She never said that the only way to do that was through nudity or one's sexuality. She simply said that these kids of photos are one way she chooses to empower herself.
Not to mention, I could make the argument that a woman who is proud of herself and her body, who owns her sexuality, and is completely autonomous is a good role model.
Additionally, Pink seems to be arguing that women and girls should be showing off their brains and talents rather than posting pictures of their bodies simply to get "attention." She goes so far as to imply that Kardashian's actions show a lack of self respect.
Obviously women and girls should show off their brains and talents. No one -- including Kardashian -- is fighting that. But to say that posting a nude photo of oneself shows a lack of self-respect is an entirely invalid statement because the two have nothing to do with one another. There is literally no correlation between lacking self-respect and posting a nude selfie. It is entirely possible to have respect for yourself and choose to share nude photos of yourself with the world.
For some women, the act of sharing their naked bodies with the world is an act of self-respect. It makes them feel proud, empowered, beautiful and self-assured.
Of course, that's not the only way to feel confident in oneself. Some women feel empowered by covering their bodies, keeping their naked selves only to themselves. Different women are (obviously) empowered by different things.
Why is any particular path better than the other? Why is covering yourself a better option? Why can't anything that helps women feel confident and sexy be acceptable, or even encouraged? Maybe instead of shaming each other over how we choose to empower ourselves, we should simply celebrate each other and allow our fellow women -- and everyone else -- to do whatever it is they need to do in order to feel proud and self-assured.
In a world that is constantly asking women to change themselves, to feel as though they are unworthy or 'less than,' let us allow each other to feel free to reach a level of absolute self-acceptance in any way we can.
On Wednesday, Kardashian wrote an essay about the events of this week, saying:
"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 ... 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. I am a mother. I am a wife, a sister, a daughter, an entrepreneur and I am allowed to be sexy. #happyinternationalwomensday”
It's worth repeating: "You be you and let me be me." That's what it's all about.
