Kim Kardashian has decided to bare it all. She took it all off for Paper Magazine’s Winter 2014 edition, titled “Break The Internet, Kim Kardashian”.
She sure did break the internet; her Instagram and Twitter page were full of both negative and positive comments from fans, haters and observers alike. Opinions have varied from some asking her to start acting like a mother, cover up and be a good example to her young fans to others criticizing the critics and calling this image a work of art and a celebration of feminine sexuality. Hmmm.
I must admit, I’m not a Kim K fan but I do like her fashion sense (when she’s keeping those clothes on, that is). That’s about it.
Seeing the photo yesterday got me thinking about the dramatic antics that we see more and more regularly coming from celebrities and wannabe celebrities. Are the shocking things we see them do and hear them say just what they are – in other words, is this just a nude picture of a famous woman on a magazine cover – or are they desperate cries for attention but really just coming from a place of emptiness?
I’m not here to judge Kim but I really can’t help thinking what triggers the need to do something this extreme. I don’t claim to be the definition of joy and fulfillment but does a truly contented and happy person need to expose their body this way?
Probably someone might say to me, “Come on Lee, you’re taking this way too seriously. It’s just business”. This person might argue and say she’s living up to the hype of being the World’s Best Marketer and knows how to keep her brand relevant. She is who she is and she’s celebrating it unashamedly.
That’s all fair and fine. It’s OK to yell “YOLO!” and “It’s my life!” all we want. Truth is, celebrities can never run away from the fact they influence so many people. Kardashian alone has a massive social media following from 25.3 million Twitter followers, 21.3 million on Instagram and she turned those loyal fans into an estimated $45 million fortune, thanks to her reality shows and various fashion and fragrance lines. She can’t be ignored. Yet, at the same time, there are a few things she and others in her league shouldn’t ignore.
It could very well be that she’s breaking more than just the internet.