The world is mad at Kim Kardashian's "toxic" body comments again, but it's a timely reminder that the controversial star is a victim too. Photos / Instagram @kimkardashian
The world is mad at Kim Kardashian's "toxic" body comments again, but it's a timely reminder that the controversial star is a victim too. Photos / Instagram @kimkardashian
Opinion
OPINION:
Kim Kardashian is once again facing backlash for her tone-deaf body comments — this time revealing her body fat percentage.
And while I understand why, I think it's time we all accept that behind the Kardashian women's "toxic" comments are the same damaging 00s beauty standards a whole generationof us is struggling to recover from.
Comments about this latest story are not nice. Some are questioning her ability to be a good mother, while others are blaming her for body-shaming.
I'm not saying the backlash is necessarily uncalled for — it's completely reasonable for people to feel that celebrities should be more careful with what they say when millions of people are watching or listening.
In fact, one Twitter user summed it up well with the comment: "I don't expect everyone else to avoid my personal triggers but Kim Kardashian is well aware of how influential she has been on body standards and to broadcast this is just incredibly irresponsible for the millions of young people that follow her."
Kim Kardashian reveals her overall body fat percentage. It's tone deaf, but maybe it's time for us to be kinder to her. Photo / Instagram @kimkardashian
The thing is, celebrity or not, if you were a woman in the 00s, you've no doubt subconsciously taken on very toxic messaging about the way your body should look.
Even now, I'm shocked when old interview footage emerges, or I re-watch an old favourite movie demonstrating the standards we accepted and absorbed. In my head, it was all normal.
Celebrities caught by paparazzi with cellulite HAD let themselves go. Bridget Jones WAS fat. It WASN'T a big deal that female celebrities were continuously asked about their weight and diets. Not even when body-shaming stunts were pulled, like that UK talk show that forced Victoria Beckham to weigh herself on air after giving birth.
It was the rise of a stick-thin body being the only way to look sexy, with low-rise jeans the ultimate in fashion. And yes, it introduced us to celebrities like Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian.
I watch it now and shudder, but at the time it was expected and very much believed to be true by all of us.
I was a teenager during this time, and like so many others I developed an eating disorder in high school. What's more, I never received more compliments on my body than when I was deep in this disorder.
To this day, while I like to exercise regularly for positive mental health, I know that I can never pay too much attention to my diet or step on a scale. If I do, it's a slippery slope right back into not eating at all.
The thing is, looking back now I can see that even without the disorder I actually did have the "right" body for the era. I was tall and lanky, plus I was sporty, which kept me thin. Yet I never once thought anything about my body except "too fat" . Even now, it's a thought that can be hard to overcome.
And I'm not the only one. I've listened to nearly every female friend and family member of mine make some negative comment about their bodies, and every time my jaw hits the floor because these are stunning ladies.
I think we're all guilty of looking at each other with kinder eyes than we can for ourselves, so when someone we think is good-looking says anything negative about their looks, it hits us hard.
If they don't think they're hot, then what must they think of me? Never mind that the answer is usually that they've never given your body a second thought.
We police each other's comments and body complaints, coming down in a particularly harsh way when we don't think they have a right to body dysmorphia. Which is probably why we get so mad at celebrities who made their fortune from their good looks.
But if this is how the 00s affected everyday women, how do we expect it to have affected women who were in the spotlight and under constant public scrutiny?
Even with this latest story, where Kim is literally talking about her body fat percentage being that of an athlete's, the majority of comments are still calling her fat and ugly.
That's why modern celebrities like Lizzo are such a breath of fresh air. There are many reasons Lizzo's fans love her — she represents a different body type, a different skin colour, an amazing level of confidence without being arrogant — but for me personally it boils down to her simply being a woman who dares to love her body.
That in itself is revolutionary to a whole generation of women who were taught to hate themselves.
Growing up in the 00s was literally a disease that is incredibly hard to shake off — so maybe it's time we had a little more understanding for our fellow women who are still struggling.
Yes, we need to be calling each other out when we drop casual comments that are toxic to body positivity — but we can do it with more kindness, even when it's a celebrity like Kim Kardashian.
