By now, we’ve pretty much all heard multiple things about Kim Kardashian West’s horrific ordeal. We’ve all read or heard about what happened: exactly what was stolen and its combined value, how she hasn’t been doing so well (and rightfully so), and theories about why she hasn’t shown her face on social media as well as predictions about if/when we may see her around again. We’ve all heard it. I’m not going to talk about it.
Instead, I’m going to talk about an Australian writer and columnist who wrote a piece for the Daily Telegraph saying how her initial thought when she heard the story was “…Why couldn’t they have killed her?”. Vanessa de Largie explains how she is in fact a feminist who feels angry that the world jumps to support Kim, and yet left alone the girls who were stuck feeling inadequate because of unrealistic beauty standards set by mainstream media and celebrities, like Kim. She mentions statistics about how many girls choose “body image” as their number one concern and how many articles telling girls how to look like Kim Kardashian there are circulating on the Internet. De Largie calls Kim “vapid, vacuous, and narcissistic” and says that she has no place calling herself a feminist. She ends her piece by defending her stance, saying that millions of people across social media platforms are echoing the same opinion: that Kim Kardashian West got what was coming to her and deserved it and more.
“The human race, specifically women, would be better off without that.”
Ms. de Largie, I have so many issues with your article, along with several other people who have voiced their own opinions, that I don’t know where to begin. First, I’ll bring up the point that many other articles have made: that Kim Kardashian West may be “just a socialite” but that is not inherently a bad thing. Was it her choice to be born into a family that was well off? No. How she rose to fame may or may not have been the best decision. But she uses that fame to bring issues to light in her own fabulous way, for women and for other groups. Take, for example, her speaking out about the realities of being pregnant and how uncomfortable swollen feet can actually be. Or would her essay in The New York Times calling out deniers of the Armenian Genocide be a better example? Would you even prefer her previous essay in which she asks people like you to move past her sex tape, see her for the other things she has done with her life, and encourage women to be proud of their sexualites and bodies? I truly believed that you, as a sex-columnist and erotic writer, would be someone who is proud that there are people pushing for an open discussion of sex and everything related, including women’s bodies.
Ms. de Largie, you said in your article that you hope this tragic event will help to build Kim’s character, I’m assuming in a way that you deem fit for her. But is it not more important that she be proud of who she is and to feel confident in her own body? Is it not more important for her to feel safe, for her to heal past this ordeal? Why should she fit your standards of what is appropriate for a celebrity, a woman, or a person? How can you call yourself a feminist when you are currently shaming a woman who lived through a dangerous situation because you do not agree with the way she lives her life? As feminists, we should empower women to not only feel proud of who they are but be strong enough to let the world know that they are here to stay, no matter what anyone else says. And you sit there, typing behind your keyboard, shaming her when more than ever she needs privacy and support.
Ms. de Largie, you defended your article with a tweet that said writing about an initial thought or reaction you had to a news story does not equate to you wanting her dead. But in a way, it does because your initial thought did call for her death, and the article you wrote as a result of that initial thought explained why she should have died, how humanity could have benefitted from it! So excuse me if I do not buy into your argument. You asking yourself why a person didn’t die when you believe they should have is in fact the same as thinking they should be dead.
Listen, I don’t agree with everything Kim Kardashian West does. I don’t agree with her claim to fame, nor do I agree with some of the things she does, posts, says, etc. But I do believe that when someone undergoes some horrific ordeal — one that could and will affect them for the rest of their lives — one should not wish that something even more horrible happen to them or should have happened to them. We wish that she gets better and heals. We wish that her family stays together and supports her in her time of need. We wish that she is able to find peace and feel safe again in a world that is terrifying sometimes. So you and all those other people tweeting about how she should have been raped or deserved whatever happened need to take a serious step back and reevaluate the moral system that brought you here. Quietly.