Shay Mitchell: Role Model Or Fraud? Her Hypocritical Kim Kardashian Selfie War


In yesterday’s issue of Flare magazine, Pretty Little Liars actress and social media icon Shay Mitchell hypocritically attacked Kim Kardashian, claiming she is a bad example and that she is corrupting young girls everywhere. The thing is, Shay does almost exactly the same kind of stuff she is criticizing Kim for.

In the interview Mitchell gave Flare, she made the same argument many do when asked about Kim Kardashian’s impossibly perfect selfies: that they set unrealistic precedents that make the young girls viewing them feel obligated to work towards the same nearly unattainable standard.

Mitchell reminds readers that Kim’s selfies are her business, and they are meticulously planned. Not only that, but they are Photoshopped before being posted to remove any imperfections.

And Shay even admitted to doing the same kinds of things in order to produce the ultra-glamorous selfies she posts on her Instagram every day, which have earned her 11.5 million followers on the site.

“Sure, I’m guilty of taking out a blemish here and there,” Shay says.

“And I’m also not afraid to tell people, ‘Oh, to get that one good photo, I took 5,000.'”

“These photos are going to be out there forever,” Mitchell continued, implying that a selfie should be perfect before going online, even if that means spending hours trying to get the right shot and editing the photo on a computer.

Shay Mitchell may be in almost exactly the same “creating unrealistic standards for female beauty” business as Kim Kardashian, but that did not stop her from calling Kim out and saying that the Kim Kardashian selfies were sending the wrong message.

Mitchell went on to claim, though, that there is an important distinction between Kim Kardashian selfies and Shay Mitchell selfies that makes all the difference: Kim’s selfies are often sexual in nature.

“Kim is a grown woman, and she can make her own decisions. I’m not about to judge her for her nude selfie,” Mitchell said.

“What I do have a problem with is young girls doing it for attention or to get more likes. They don’t realize it’s going to be on the Internet for all time.”

Even besides the Shay Mitchell comments, Kim Kardashian’s extremely racy selfies have come under a lot of fire as of late for glorifying unethical and unrealistic values that young girls may attempt to emulate. The issue has even earned its very own title, #SelfieGate.

And Shay is telling the truth that her staged selfies are not as explicit as Kim’s, although many of them show Mitchell sporting outfits or makeup styles that would certainly not be appropriate for, say, a job interview.

Shay Mitchell has made it clear in the past that being a good role model for younger women is very important to her, and many of her past actions have reflected it.

For instance, points out the Daily Mail, Mitchell chose to celebrate her 29th birthday this past weekend at an exercise studio rather than the typical celebrity birthday party venue of a club or bar in order to promote combining partying with self-improvement activities.

Shay also raises money for charities as much as possible and goes out of her way in interviews to emphasize that women are strong and do not need anyone to feel complete.

So yes, it is fair to say that Shay Mitchell at least aspires to be a role model for the millions of young women that look up to her. But is posting heavily posed and edited beauty pics on Instagram and then telling off other female celebs for doing the same really the way to do that?

Leave your thoughts on Shay Mitchell’s actions in the comments section below.

[Photo by Matthew Eisman/Getty Images for REVOLVE]

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