If you live under a rock, I’ll catch you up. Earlier this week, a rare, unedited, non-airbrushed photo of Khloe Kardashian made its way to Instagram. It seems as though MJ Shannon, (Khloe’s grandmother) took a photo of Khloe hanging by the pool in a bikini at a family gathering and posted it on her private Instagram account. Soon after, fan accounts got hold of the picture and it began circulating around the internet.
It wasn’t long before the Kardashian legal team hopped on getting the photo wiped off the internet.
I thought Khloe looked beautiful in the photo but to be honest with you, I understand where she’s coming from. I’m super sensitive about the photos of me that get posted on the internet; it is a well known fact that everyone is their own worst critic. I won’t lie, I’ve made a few of my friends delete or untag me from photos that I didn’t think I looked good in.
Beyond that whole debacle, what I really want to talk about is Khloe’s reaction to the situation. On April 7, she posted a few unedited videos of her body with a long written response to those coming at her for removing the photo. In the response, she spoke about how being referred to as “the fat sister”, “the ugly Kardashian” and the questions regarding who her father really was took a toll on her over the years. She also reflects on the amount of scrutiny every photo of her falls under by the public and asks that people remember that she, although being in the spotlight, is still a human being with real emotions. Due to the level of scrutiny she was experiencing and the feelings she was having about herself, she decided to dedicate herself to getting in the best shape of her life. She says that even after all that, she still got hate; comments about her having to have paid for her body for her to look that good flooded her timelines.
I respect Khloe’s honest and vulnerable response to this situation. I can’t imagine it’s easy to feel like you need to look like a 10 every time you leave your house for fear that the paps will get a bad photo of you. I also can’t imagine what it must feel like to be constantly compared to your sisters, younger and older, or having people voice their opinions about you when you don’t even know them.
As someone who has struggled with body image issues for as long as I can remember, which I’m sure resonates with a lot of people, it was refreshing to see a huge star being so open and honest about something that’s very personal to her. In my opinion, it’s important to have these conversations surrounding body image issues in order to make any changes in the right direction. Being vulnerable is such a scary thing to do in any situation, but allowing yourself to truly open up about how you feel will only allow you to grow and change for the better.
Even though I thought Khloe looked fire in the leaked photo, it’s really up to her how she wants to be represented in the media. It’s her body, she can choose how she wants it shown. I get self conscious about posting a photo for my 1,400 followers to see; imagine knowing the entire world will see the photos you post of yourself, of course you’re going to be picky about which ones make it out there.
The fact is, being vulnerable and honest is the best way to connect with others and make positive growth within yourself. Khloe set a great example of how to do that on a really large scale. So, take a page out of Khloe’s book; if you are in a situation where you feel uncomfortable or unhappy, voice your opinion and do whatever is best for you. Stand up for yourself and be honest!