The youngest Kardashian sister, 36, finally broke her silence on the leaked bikini shot she felt cast her in an unflattering light.
Sharing her thoughts on body image struggles, she accompanied the Instagram post with a Live in which she also removed her top.
Following the widespread sharing of the unauthorized image (in which, let’s face it, the star looks refreshingly fresh-faced and still looks preternaturally fab), got a lot of chatter online. Fans pointed to it as evidence that the star is editing her photos. Meanwhile, Kardashian’s team in turn responded that it’s “desperate to scrub the unedited bikini pic from the internet,” further underscoring the heavy image policing celebs undergo.
See also: The most honest celebrity quotes about body image issues.
To this point, she captioned her topless footage showing her midsection with, “Yes I did a live to show you all this isn’t photoshopped,” possibly only fueling this toxic fire.
She further wrote, “Hey guys, this is me and my body unretouched and unfiltered. The photo that was posted this week is beautiful. 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 so hard to get it to this point – and then shares it to the world – you should have every right to ask for it to not be shared – regardless of who you are.”
Kardashian pointed to the “constant ridicule and judgement” she’s experienced her entire life, and that it’s been “too much to bear,” particularly when pitted against her sisters.
Related: This is where beauty standards actually come from.
“For over a decade now in photos, every single flaw and imperfection has been micro-analyzed and made fun of to the smallest detail and I am reminded of them everyday by the world.”
The Revenge Body series creator and star has also reaped benefit from her sculpted image, admitting she loves “a good filter, good lighting and an edit here and there,” comparing it to wearing makeup or heels.
But while we can all acknowledge the difference lighting and set-up can make to a sweet looking social post, when it goes too far, it can lead to serious mental hardship, and at its extreme even to body and selfie dysmorphia, with people seeking to recreate social media filters in real life by going under the knife.
All the more reason for women to stop tearing each other down, and instead working together to break out of toxic patterns that only work to reduce their worth.
You may also like: Forget body positivity, here’s why body neutrality is where it’s at.
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