One of the most difficult issues that women around the globe claim to have is their body image. The fashion industry, magazines, models, movies and social media all play an important role in this sensitive problem that affects women of all ages.
And yes it does affect men but this piece focuses on women and one famous woman in particular: Khloe Kardashian. The reality star spoke out after a (snatched) photo of her wearing a bikini was posted online, not by her and without her authorization.
The TV Reality star and entrepreneur, age 36, who gained fame as one of the stars of the hit show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians told CNN interview in early 2021 that she was extremely upset about rude comments posted about the picture. The public ridicule caused her to feel shamed by the picture which she didn’t even approve of. Some people who viewed the picture jumped to conclusions about her apparent weight loss and attacked her on social media for using plastic surgery to have achieved her goals.
In response Khloe posted a video of herself wearing only bikini bottoms in front of a mirror in a bathroom to show to the world that she had achieved her weight loss naturally and proved she had no visible scars from surgery. Khloe stated that she worked hard with a trainer and modified her diet to achieve a healthier body over the past few years. It’s sad that she feels compelled to post this. And perhaps even sadder anyone would feel compelled to berate an individual and state that she made false claims about her own weight loss?
Maybe she does make other women feel uncomfortable or inadequate about their body image which explains their attack on a stranger. However no one should be harshly judged for content that is not approved before it is put out on public display (how would you feel?). Nor should people assume that they know the truth about someone else’s life by looking at social media or any other platform.
“The photo that was posted this week was beautiful,” the CNN statement read. “But as someone who has struggled with body image her whole life, when someone takes a photo of you that isn’t flattering in bad lighting or doesn’t capture your body the way it is after working hard to get it to this point – and then shares it with the world – you should have every right to ask for it not to be shared – no matter who you are.”
Kardashian continued that “the pressure, constant ridicule and judgment my entire life to be perfect and to meet other’s standards of how I should look has been too much to bear.”
Yes, the Kardashian family is world-famous and constantly in the public eye and every detail about them is scrutinized and voiced online, in print, podcasts, and TV shows. For a family that is famous worldwide and super wealthy, people may well have a difficult time feeling sorry for them if their feelings are hurt by public comments made about them. But the point is, they do have feelings just like the rest of us. So many women struggle with their body image, even women that have access to the best plastic surgeons, trainers, physicians and chefs.
This issue involves every race and culture, especially in our high tech world. Back in 2012, Vogue was reported in Women’ Wear Daily to be addressing the issue. Its publisher, Condé Nast International, announced, the launch of its “Health Initiative, an agreement between the editors of Vogue’s 19 international editions designed to encourage a healthier approach to body image
within the industry.” It stated that Vogue is “uniquely placed to engage with relevant issues in order to make a difference.” As part of the initiative, the editors all signed a six-point agreement focused on promoting a healthy body image in their magazines and the wider fashion industry.
The initiative was groundbreaking and necessary. Unfortunately it has been a disappointingly slow progression to see how results have manifested from this in the media, online and on runways.
Young girls and teenagers are especially vulnerable because they are still learning about the world – and themselves. Eating disorders can begin at a very young age. Many adolescents develop this serious disorder when they have a low self-esteem. In today’s high tech world, young women have access to looking at their favorite celebrities posting pictures of themselves on social media. Pictures of women wearing bikinis is very prevalent on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest. Women can be made to feel inadequate, depressed and belittled.
A report in The Journal of Adolescent Health, states: “efforts should be directed toward encouraging and supporting healthy eating patterns and physical activity while encouraging students to recognize personal strengths not related to physique”.
The fashion industry, online influencers, magazines, and celebrities should make every effort to set different standards pertaining to the messages and imagery they are putting out there. The best message should include information about health and well-being. Women come are non-identical in regard to their shapes, sizes, races, ages, and cultures.
All types of women should be represented in the different facets of advertising, runway shows, movies, and online accounts. A 1999 report by Professor Barbara Buddeberg-Fischer, a leading Swiss expert on child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy has written about the associations between body weight, psychiatric disorders and body image in female adolescents. It states that psychosomatic research should be “more concerned about issues of obesity and concurrent psychiatric morbidity and aim to develop preventative as well as therapeutic treatment methods.” It also states that physicians should be aware of the associations between obesity, negative body image and psychiatric morbidity (the latter is a term for mental illness.
“You never quite get used to being judged and pulled apart and told how unattractive one is, “ Khloe Kardashian told the multinational new-based TV channel “but I will say if you hear anything enough then you will start to believe it. This is how I have been conditioned to feel, that I am not beautiful enough just being me.”
This statement feels so important because it is exactly how so many women actually feel. Isn’t it telling that despite being on parade most of her adult life, Khloe remains as sensitive as any other woman? It is unfortunate that our society does not capture and beautify a woman at every age. Life is precious and should be celebrated. All women are beautiful at every age and size.
Kardashian’s statements serve to remind everyone of that mindset. Post pandemic we have never before felt such a need to focus on health and well-being. The fact that so many people have been out of work and have had no choice but to remain indoors in track pants, eating and looking at endless TV shows has triggered negative thoughts about how we should look.
No one should judge another person based on an interpretation by social media certainly not an image that has been taken and posted online both without permission. After the year we’ve all that has rendered everyone so vulnerable you would think people might just remember that we all have feelings. Now that we recognize that mental health and well-being is just as important as physical health if anything has come out of the pandemic is the overwhelming importance to be kind to everyone.
Bottom line? Take a moment before you post a negative comment about another person’s image…because none of us are perfect.
