Kim Kardashian: Shameful or Shameless?

On March 7, Kim Kardashian did something that, at this point, should be completely underwhelm­ing: she posted a nearly nude Insta­gram selfie. As a celebrity with a popular sex tape and spreads in Play­boy and Paper in which she posed fully nude, a censored Instagram selfie should not, it would seem, have been a big deal. Yet… it was.

Not to men, it seems. They prob­ably double tapped that pic and kept scrolling. However, women had very mixed reactions.

Actor Chloe Moretz fired the first shot, tweeting to Kim, “I truly hope you realize how important set­ting goals are for young women, teaching them we have so much more to offer than just our bodies.” Singer Pink then posted on her Twitter feed, “Shout out to all of the women, across the world, using their brains, their strength, their work ethic, their talent, their ‘magic’ that they were born with, that only they possess. It may not ever bring you as much ‘attention’ or bank notes as using your body, your sex, your tits and asses, but women like you don’t need that kind of ‘attention.’ ” Even actress/singer Bette Midler ex­pressed her disapproval: “Kim Kar­dashian tweeted a nude selfie today. If Kim wants us to see a part of her we’ve never seen, she’s gonna have to swallow the camera.”

However, model Amber Rose fired back, claiming, “…please as a grown wom­an let another grown woman live as she wishes. That is our problem! We’re so quick to down each other instead of uplifting!” Actor Bella Thorne agreed with her: “I think every wom­an should be allowed to make their own choices with their own bodies…” Another actor, Ariel Winter, also tweeted, “I think everyone, men and women, should have the right to choose what they do with their bod­ies–and not be criticized.”

So which is it? Should Kim be cel­ebrated for her shamelessness or panned for her need for attention? Is Kim helping the feminist movement by posing nude or is she hindering the movement by reducing women to sexual objects? On which side should a proper feminist be?

Many people criticize “femi­nism” because of its complexity. The March 12 episode of Saturday Night Live captured this air of confusion in a sketch titled, “This is Not A Femi­nist Song.” The song is about a group of women who tried to write a femi­nist song but quickly became over­whelmed by the pressure and backed out. The song is hilarious because it is true.

Feminism is subtle, complicated, and nuanced. This makes it an easy target for critics, both men and wom­en alike, and encourages many wom­en to simply write off the entire con­cept altogether, as they are unwilling or unable to navigate the muddy waters of the issue. However, feminism is also instinctual. It is a gut feeling.

If you follow Kim Kardashian on Twitter, you are not a feminist. I am just kidding. If you do follow her and you scrolled past that picture, how did it make you feel? Did you feel so proud at how far women have come? Did you feel excited for the day you post a naked selfie on Instagram? Did you laugh at how brazen she is? If so, then this picture was feminist to you. Any­thing that makes you feel empowered as a woman is inherently feminist.

However, if that picture made you roll your eyes (or maybe just the cap­tion did… we know you have plenty to wear Kim) or feel inadequate, then no, it is not feminist to you. Moreover, I have a feeling that the majority of women who saw this picture did not feel bet­ter about themselves.

Donald Trump is so popular with so many people partially because they claim he “tells it like it is.” He is the opposite of microaggressions, trigger warnings, and—especially—femi­nism. However, feminism is nothing if not truthful and the truth of Kim’s photo lies in its intentions. Was she intend­ing to encourage more women to feel comfortable in their skin? Was she intending to make people laugh with her pithy little caption? Was she in­tending to inspire women in any way?

No. No, she was not. We all know what she was intending. She wanted to remind both men and women (but especially men) how sexually attrac­tive she has molded her body to be. Some may think she was trying to show off a post-baby body, but Kim herself admitted that the picture was an old one, before she got pregnant with Saint. Therefore, in all likelihood, she was feeling insecure about her actual post-baby body and needed some reassurance that she was, and there­fore still can be, sexy. Not beautiful, mind you. Not elegant. Sexy was what she was assuredly going for.

Needing assurance from strangers that you are still sexy despite having a child is the opposite of feminism. So no, this picture is not to be ap­plauded and celebrated as a sign of how far women have come and how comfortable we are in our bodies. We are more uncomfortable than ever, largely in part because of mental com­parisons women have become accus­tomed to making (Who wore it bet­ter?). However, if Kim had been honest about her attentions and ad­mitted to needing some support in a self-critical moment… now that would have been admirable. Femi­nism is about being genuine and ear­nest; two things Kim has never been accused of.

So, yes, women need to support other women. Moreover, yes, women should be free to do whatever they wish with their bodies. However, just be­cause a female did it, does not make it a feminist thing to do.