Kim Kardashian Not Empowered, Only Rich And Likely Confused

Kim Kardashian West has insisted that baring her breasts on social media is merely her way of demonstrating how empowered she is. For the second time (that the media knows of, at least) in two months, Kardashian has gone and shot images of herself where she is at the very least topless and, when called out for it, gave her “haters” an extended middle finger. However, Kardashian needs to realize there is so much more to female empowerment than going naked whenever she wants; if there wasn’t, people like Malala Yousafzai wouldn’t be risking her life daily to fight for female education and there wouldn’t be countless organizations trying to help those girls in Third World countries to become “empowered.”

#BTS AUSTRALIA SUNDAY TIMES https://t.co/fY7rJUceWB pic.twitter.com/ihGQXd7Kc5

— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 19, 2016

According to World Bank, empowerment is “the process of enhancing the capacity of individuals or groups to make choices and to transform those choices into desired actions and outcomes.” Under that definition alone, Kardashian has all sorts of capacity, and it does not need enhancing. InStyle reported that Kardashian’s net worth is estimated at around $58.3 million USD. That’s a great deal of capacity and yes, Kardashian does use her power for some good, as she has donated her time and money to organizations such as the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, according to Entertainment Tonight and according to Huffington Post, she holds monthly eBay auctions in support of a range of different charities.

Mention Kim Kardashian West’s name to people, though, and the first thing that comes to mind is not her charitable work; it’s Keeping Up With the Kardashians, her famous father Robert (who defended O.J. Simpson during his murder trial), and her 2007 sex tape with singer Ray J. Oh, yes – there’s also the matter of her famous spouse, Kanye West.

So to the extent that Kardashian has helped the beneficiaries of her charitable work become more empowered, she is demonstrating empowerment. She has the ability to help empower others as a result of her substantial fortune and has done so for some time. However, the more dangerous message is the one sent by the endless nude or semi-nude shots.

Kardashian has 42.7 million followers – an incredible number by any standard. Many followers are quite likely teen and preteen girls. While Kardashian’s work ethic is certainly something to respect, what the general masses remember is how you are presented to the public, and when you are in the public eye, as she very much is, you have to be cautious. Kardashian is more noted for her nudity, at this point, than she is anything else. Is that an example we should encourage teen and preteen girls to follow?

Kardashian does have an incredible figure – especially for someone who just had a second child not that long ago, as any parent knows. Who can blame her for flaunting it? But when we are looking for examples of empowerment, Kardashian needs to look beyond her own breasts – those are merely milk receptacles for infants, and even then, only for a short time.

“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?” she wrote on her website last month after she posted her first nude selfie, according to Elle.

Kardashian also encouraged people who kept referring to the sex tape to move on, as she had done.

“I am empowered by my body,” she said. “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.”

The problem with Kardashian’s statement is for girls and women in many places in the world, their bodies are part of the problem. Girls and women are seen as “less than” in many pockets of the globe and in war torn areas, according to a BBC News report, “women fleeing the war are becoming increasingly victims of sexual violence and exploitation by IS to use as sex slaves.” There is “also a marked increase in young girls becoming child brides” in addition to the continued trafficking of women.

Kim Kardashian said that she would not be denigrated for being proud of her sexuality, which is fine, as no one should be. However, there is a big difference between sexual empowerment and empowerment as a whole, and empowerment encompasses so much more than one’s body. Kardashian wants girls and women to feel empowered? That’s wonderful – tuck the tatas away, get some clothes on, stop with the selfies and see what really needs to be done to empower girls and women in the world, not just western society. Maybe give Malala a call. Word is she could use others to promote empowerment for girls – in the form of education, not naked or semi-naked selfies.

[Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images]