When Kim Kardashian posted her mostly-nude photo last week, several notable people had negative things to say, like Chloe Moretz, Bette Midler and Piers Morgan. But several notable people took a more “her body, her choice” attitude, like Demi Lovato, Rowan Blanchard and Emily Ratajkowski. Emily took to Twitter and tweeted: “Love when a man comments on a woman’s decision to post a nude photo. Her body, her career. Sexist bullsh*t. @KimKardashian” and “Also love that when a woman stands up for herself everyone thinks it must be her dude speaking for her.” Emily also referenced an essay she wrote for Lena Dunham’s Lenny newsletter, which you can read here. Emily talks about being well-developed as a young girl, and the comments she’s gotten since girlhood about her overly “sexual” body. It’s a good piece.
Anyway, Kim was paying attention to which women had her back, and she sent flowers to Emily. Emily posted a thank you to Kim on her Instagram, writing:
“Thank you for the beautiful flowers and note @kimkardashian 💛 it’s so important that we let women express their sexuality and share their bodies however they choose. ✌🏼️🌟💕 ‘Merely external emancipation has made of the modern woman an artificial being. Now, woman is confronted with the necessity of emancipating herself from emancipation, if she really desires to be free.’ Emma Goldman.”
I’m including the Instagram below. Beyond this Kim issue, Emily has always talked about her bohemian life and how comfortable she is with nudity and sexuality, and how feminism means, to her, that every woman gets to decide how she dresses, how she dances, and how she wants to show off her body. Emily told the Daily Mail a year ago: “I think you can be a sexual woman, empowered and be a feminist. I think sexuality should be empowering to women, it’s not always misogynistic or exploitative.”
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.
Wow. Pretty cheap flowers.
As a Florist, these flowers make me so sad. Cheap, soft roses badly placed in a glass tank is not a gift I would want to send to anyone or receive. The thought is sweet though. They always have awful flowers on KUWTK though (yes, I check them out :P).
They should form a support group. Bimbos Anonymous maybe.
I like the flowers but I don’t know who Emily R. Is? I’ve never heard of her.
@Zwella Well good for you. 🙂 She was one of the girls that paraded around nude in Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines video. She was also cast in a small part in “Gone Girl” as Ben’s character side piece.
Now you probably mad at me for telling you.
1 – Emily is growing on me.
2 – So nice of Kim to handwrite the note, very sweet.
3 – Lenny has some nice essays.
My friend has run or been involved in several events Emily has hosted or attended and says that she is an absolute sweetheart. Very quiet, sweet and bookish but also a lot of fun. In fact my friend said I would like her a lot because she’s a bookworm like me.
Yeah me to! I thought her essay for Lenny was well written.
Omg…stfu Kim Kardashian and your stupid OLD pic of your naked ass that we’ve all seen a million times. If you wanted to empower women why don’t you post a selfie of your actual naked body right now (the one you’re ashamed of and hide behind in big coats). And say “look at me world and my post baby body, I love it all the same because it produced life”…or something of that nature.
She’s not trying to empower women, she’s trying to keep the dough rolling in by doing the only thing she knows how to do. I’m with all the people who criticized her photo if you can’t tell.
And I’m sleep deprived so I’m extra bitchy this morning.
*Golf clap*
110% agree.
I hate the artwork in Emily’s wall. Is that relevant to this tired conversation?
No, in seriousness, this is an important conversation that needs to continue. I’m just a bit worn out with it. But I agree with everything Emily said, and the support shown between these women is touching.
First thing I said at the sight of that painting:
Ew.
What a weak bouquet, too. This whole topic, posts and comments are exactly what they want. Kim’s feelings are not hurt. She’s literally laughing to the bank. I’m actually starting to admire her abilities in media manipulation.
Spare me, Bette Friedan and Gloria Steinem they aren’t.
Thank you! 2 women who are not feminists, using nudity to make themselves famous and make men drool. That is not feminism, idiots.
@Lkaye:Funny since last time I checked, Emily R. does identify as a feminist. Hmmm….. Has she implied that she doesn’t believe that all people should have equal rights regardless of gender, race, sexuality, or ethnicity? Is she a racist? Does she blame women for rape? Has she described herself as an antifeminist? Does she actively work and vote to take women’s rights away? Is she a Trump supporter or MRA? Has she raped anyone? Is she transphobic? Is she homophobic?
I think part of the reason why people go around screaming “She can’t be a feminist!” at women they don’t approve of (But don’t go around screaming “She’s no atheist! She’s no Democrat! She’s no Republican!” “She’s no libertarian! She’s no Christian!” at celebrities and other people who identify with those belief systems) because they think identifying with feminism= Being A Feminist Icon, when it doesn’t.
As has been said on article after article, Kim can post all the nudes she wants but don’t call it empowerment or feminism when you are doing it for attention. Also don’t say you are proud of your body (and this goes for anyone) if you constantly filter and photoshop it before you post it and say you are showing all your flaws.
+1
+100 I think that has been said so many times but for some reason people keep defending Kim K. Kim K has done nothing or taken a stand for women in the past, but when people attack her she yells slut shaming, body policing & anti feminist. This is a woman who makes her BFF & sister attack another woman & make fun of her. I’m a feminist & no I don’t support Kim K.
I tend to defend Kim Kardashian because even if she uses overt sexuality, I don’t think she is worthless or should be called names as I often see. (Just as I defend Amber Rose) I think it is just as easy to believe that her BFF and sisters attack people of their own accord (because they are humans with free will) because they are protective of her and not just her attack dogs. But for some reason, people always choose whatever narrative is most negative toward Kim Kardashian.
@Sasha, yes I believe Jonathon and her sisters might attack of their own accord, but it’s suspicious that they had NOTHING to say about this instance. So that makes one think that they do attack when Kim tells them to do so. Maybe not. As far as name calling, I agree when I read comments on other sites that they are nasty but other celebs get just as many nasty comments on those sites also. I blame the site for that.
@Swak, maybe its my legal background- but it’s all speculation to me. I just don’t put a lot of credence to speculation when either narrative could be equally true. And I agree, the name calling and nitpicking of so many female celebrities is appalling and I do not support it.
Maybe it “empowers” her to pretend that her body doesn’t look like it really does lol.
I think it would be helpfull for all of us to distinguish between liberal feminism and radical feminism. What Kim and Emily and other women of this type are claiming is liberal feminism based on the concept of choice. But choice as a concept does nothing for feminism in general because the status quo is not being challenged. This is what radical feminism tries: to look at the motives behind the choice. Because if we look at the motives, we see how shallow they are and that do not contribute in any kind of way to promote equality between the sexes.
There is not ONE feminism, but several. The question is, if liberal feminism is really that profound as a concept. I think, liberal feminism is no feminism at all, but that is just my opinion.
I think this is kind of what Sam touched on with her comments on yesterday’s thread. I guess I’m not sure what the answer is because my feminism is probably somewhere in-between the two.
Anyway, good comment.
I think the difference is that one feminism (“conservative feminism” or what you’re calling “radical feminism”) prioritizes women rejecting ‘sexiness’ and ‘femininity’, sees those things as oppression and exploitation all by themselves, and promotes respectability politics over equality – which is why there’s such a high concentration of T.E.R.Fs and S.W.E.R.Fs in that part of the movement and why there’s a victim-blaming and slut-shaming problem within the movement. To a lot of these women, any cis or trans woman who embraces femininity or immodesty, (and sometimes certain kinds of sex) or profits off of looks and her body in any way is exploited, unintelligent, oppressed, Part Of The Problem/ to blame for the oppression of women and girls, and any feminist that goes against that ‘radical’ belief system is ‘not a real feminist’. Things like abortion, androgyny, ‘lesbian by choice’, and modesty are fine and go unquestioned as rights, but just about everything else is deemed patriarchal, not a real choice, anti-feminist, rape-promoting, and exploitative.
The other feminism (what you call ‘liberal feminism) tries to prioritize equality for all women (not just the one’s who’s grooming and sexual choices are approved of) and puts people’s right to make choices with their bodies without being discriminated against, abused, or blamed for abuse over respectability politics and rebellion against femininity, and sees the whole ‘Bimbos like you are the reason why men do bad things to us’ school of activism as anti-feminist and part of the problem.
@ Otaku Fairy: But only because you like something doesn’t make it a movement for radical social change, and this is what feminism is about!
Your argumentation is not solid, e.g. if a woman chooses to stay at home, or chooses to pose nude pictures, it isn’t feminist. What you talk about, is mychoice feminism, which is a product of neoliberal ideolology. I do not see where this kind of thinking could lead us, except just stay in the status quo. With this mentality, you are not allowed to criticise any other woman, because hey, her choice. How can this lead to change? Tell me.
I don’t think anything is automatically ‘feminist’ because someone likes or chooses to do it. But I do think that all women being able to choose whether or not they’re going to do these things without being excluded from the movement, discriminated against, blamed for other people’s crimes and behavior, or treated as less than is a feminist goal. I think radical social change would be defending THAT, since that has never been the status quo.
I don’t think calling being a stay at home mom or posing naked not feminist is fair at all. People think those things aren’t feminist because at one time women did them because they had no other choice, and that by doing them now they are somehow setting feminism back. The difference is that now many more women have a choice. I’m sure many women truly feel liberated by being photographed naked. I don’t think Kim K is one of those, but I’m not in her head. I had a second baby back in December and I have decided to stay home with her instead of going back to work like I did with my first. I don’t think this suddenly makes me not a feminist. Otaku Fairy, you listed a lot of great examples of setting feminism back. People who are actively trying to change laws to set women back in any way are anti feminist. The Kardashians are honestly just the repercussion of the reality tv culture of the 2000s and they have extended their reach into the social media culture of today. I agree with Chloe Moretz that Kim (and Taylor Swift) hide behind feminism to defend themselves and don’t defend other women (Amber Rose for example) or necessarily do much to help, but I would argue that they are setting anything back. They both used public image and persona to make bank.
Of course you can do whatever you want, the question is whether you call if feminist or not. The other thing is, for a movement, you have to be exclusionary to make a point.
She looks like a Kardashian, no wonder she defended her.
I still can’t with this whole thing…Kim turning a couple of harmless jokes by Bette Midler about her posting yet another thirsty selfie into a “women need to empower other women” issue. Is anyone else getting flashes of Taylor Swift and Tina Fey/Amy Poehler?
“There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”
Yeahh I remember the interview with Vanity Fair that was something else. I’m sure T.Swift will hate to be compared to Kim K in this issue, but they do sound similar. Well we know for sure those words came out of T.Swift as for Kim’s well that was her ghost writer.
Kris Humphries has a beautiful sister and she was interested in modeling for Plus sized people. The rumor in MN was Kim told her in no uncertain terms not to use her name or ask for her help. Kim takes lots but gives little back in terms of “helping” anyone NOT related to her by blood. The Humphries were always too good for a slug like Kimmode.
How shocking: two women who are known mainly for using their bodies for attention have each other’s backs. Knock me over with a feather.
Emily was hired for a video the required her to be topless. She did her job and was able to escalate it to a higher career. Kim posted a years old photo for attention and was upset that it was not the kind she wanted. I am not seeing the similarity.
The similarity is that Emily often posts nude and near-nude selfies on social media. It’s not just her work in that music video. For proof, just visit Daily Mail and type Emily’s full name in the search box. She may have a legitimate career as a model, but she’s just as thirsty as Kim when it comes to needing public validation of her body.
She barely escalated her career though. She was cast in a Fincher film and was terrible. She then was in one of the worst grossing wide release films of all time. Her film career is on a ventilator at this point. The type of modeling she does has doesn’t have a history of career longevity, there is always a new person looking to replace you.
Kim has to try and keep the few people on her side in her corner. People are tired of seeing her now. The last time she did the Paper Magazine nude shoot Piers Morgan wrote an article in the Daily Mail defending her. This time even he told her to put some clothes on. She is really and truly over. Expect some ridiculous publicity stunts in the future.
I hate that Kim is being held up as some kind of feminist icon now. She spends her life having invasive procedures and injections and working out and starving and slathering on pounds of contouring makeup and choosing her next hideous outfit and taking selfies. That’s the sum of her existence. Oh, how very empowering.
…and of course here is Emily “I love sex and I love to be naked all the time because I love nudity and my body and sex and sexy things..oh, and SEX” Ratajowski having her back because, of course.
Didn’t she do one of the Carl’s Jr ads we were talking about yesterday?
She was also in that “Blurred Lines” video remember?
Yup, and Robin Thicke’s video and lots of nude selfies. That’s her go-to tactic for attention. She’s generous that way.
Not surprised she supports Kim. Self-absorption and regularly sharing naked pics with the public are things they have in common.
Basically it seems like if a celeb has no talent, just go the naked route to get more attention and money. I mean this girl was offered a movie role after appearing topless in ONE music video. That’s all it took. She didn’t even speak in the damn video and she got offered a role. WTF? These women are using nudity as a way to make money, especially Kim and Amber. That is not empowerment. Does anyone think porn stars are empowered then? How about Playboy bunnies? Hustler magazine? All empowered women huh? Come on now. Kim and her like are all about the dollar and will do anything for it, including demeaning themselves.
All I want to know is: did Amber Rose get the flowers too ?
That is the first thing I thought. Didn’t Amber defend Kim as well?
More than once.
Amber got something more valuable than flowers, a check.
Bazinga !
Kim is hungry. Cannot help but wonder if in sending the flowers she would get MORE publicity…and she did! I have NO problem will her posting nude pics either…ROCK on! Kim’s intent is not self expression…it’s narcissism at it’s finest.
Meh. Everything Kim is claiming to promote would just have a much bigger impact if she would stand up for other women as well and not just herself.
I don’t think anyone is claiming Kim is a true feminist…it’s just irritating for some of us to see a 19 year old like Chloe lecture her or Pink be so sanctimonious. I like what Pink said but she could have just left it with “put your minds first ladies.” Bette, on the other hand, was just making a harmless joke.
Poor Emily. She is probably thinking cashing this friendship check will help raise her profile, but I think she is going to be sadly disappointed. Besides, as someone else pointed out, this was probably more to make Kim look good than really thank Emily.
But when WOC do it it’s still disgusting and gross…. The misogynoir is so evident in this “empowerment” debate.
More like Emily defended Kim when she realized the potential to get some publicity and hoped to get an appearance on KUWTK. Emily’s acting career is not going well. She should really get rid of whatever moron told her to get into acting.
My cynical said is thinking that Kim (and Demon Mother) are bulking up on Kim having new friends and support for when the plug is pulled on the Kanye/Kim marriage. Just from his past behaviour on Twitter, Kanye can be very nasty to an ex or anyone that he feels has crossed him. The more support Kim has in her corner the better it looks.
Everything this family does has a motive. They did not get this successful without learning to play the game.
I’m not surprised by the comment. It’s the kind of rhetoric these women use an excuse for posing nude and feeling the guilt and shame that goes along with it. They know that what they’ve done has taken away their credibility and their chances of moving up in Hollywood. They want money and 15 minutes to an hour of fame and know the easy way to get it; all the while claiming that this choice is an example female empowerment. It makes them feel better.
And can you blame them for wanting to feel better? You’ve LITERALLY just said that posing nude is something that takes away their credibility.
Look – I get why people wouldn’t want to do it for themselves, and I don’t believe Kim is some kind of feminist icon worthy of undue praise. But at the same time – why does it matter what other people are doing with their bodies, when it’s not hurting anyone.
If someone genuinely wants to take nude photos- and I don’t mean cheesy, poor quality phone pics snap chatted off to a love interest – what is it hurting? Maybe it allows them to see their body in a new way, and help them stop imagining flaws that don’t exist.
I don’t think it’s fair to assume that every single nude photo is done for attention. There are genuinely photos taken to show the difference between our bodies, to show that beauty isn’t a one size fits all. People pose as nude figures for art classes – they’re exposing themselves in a room full of people – are they doing it solely for attention?
Yes, some people are doing it for validation, and trying to pass it off as empowerment. But at the same time – we don’t know what they’re thinking. Unless you can read minds, you don’t know why people do what they do. Kim’s always going to get hate, no matter what she does. But the reaction that is coming off of this is ridiculously out of proportion. Yes, on her end as well.
I’m still baffled as to why that picture bothered some people so much when Kim has being doing such things for years? I don’t care for the nude selfie thing and of course I think women and men should be more about their minds than than bodies but Kim’s selfie didn’t make me lose any sleep. Any more than Pink’s nude photos of Moretz’s semi nude “only a coat is covering me” Nylon cover.
With the exception of Midler, who was obviously joking (learn to take a joke Kim), this whole thing is one big blob of hypocritical nonsense to me.
Piers Morgan has done terrible things, Pink used nudity to sell her music and Moretz used nudity to promote her awful looking, flop in the states, Hunger Games rip off. What judgmental people don’t get is that there is always someone above you with even better morals.
“What judgmental people don’t get is that there is always someone above you with even better morals.” @Loo – that made me laugh! Isn’t that the truth. I’m no fan of Kim’s and as far as I have seen she has absolutely nothing to offer, but other than Bette the others just made themselves look small.
Feminism is about equal rights for men and women but here we are women telling Kim what to do with her life I agree with Emily if you object to taking your clothes off like I do just ignore Kim telling keep what to do is policing I do not what reason she did it for I do not feel anybody has the right to tell keep the reasons she should do a,b or c.I do not hear women telling men to go to school so they should not become dumb like Henry Carville yet many think he is stupid.Yet if Kim is out there she is an example not to follow.Women cry all the time about discrimination yet they discriminate against other women for not sharing their views or being like them.A woman should only be respected if she is intelligent or strong or confident I am sorry to me that is anti feminist because men do not get massacred for being themselves they can be whosoever they see fit yet till present date women are being limited not just by men but by women.Just because your problems as a woman are important to you does not mean someone’s else battles do not matter.Yes Kim may not lift a finger for another woman but she does not contribute to the problem.I get people do not like Kim but that does give people the right to criticise her for doing her.The fact that this whole issue is a debate is annoying and sad.Kim may not be likable but she is a free human being just like any man out liked or not liked.
Women shall never be free until they let other women be free to choose not one way fits all it is her life who are we to judge?
Who isn’t letting her “be free” though?
Seriously-who is sitting here preventing Kim from posting nude photos?
Why don’t people see the difference between seeing another Kim nudie pic and rolling your eyes and seeing another Kim nudie pic and calling her a “slut” or whatever? People need to stop confusing the two. This goes back to Chloe’s comment about hiding behind a *hot button* word. We really need to stop viewing these issues in terms of black and white just so we can justify outrage on either side of the fence. Body-policing is a complex and nuanced issue and we don’t do it justice by attempting to silence any woman who expresses a dissenting opinion.
Also, if you don’t think that men get judged for posting gym selfies, I think you need to revisit some of the Chris Pratt threads.
This is what I think too. It’s a Kim issue not a feminist one. And a healthy dose of ‘over her’.
I think people are more bored by Kim than anything else. I don’t care if she posts naked pictures of herself. She is boring and i just don’t see anything notable about what she does.
Kim is puzzled as to why she can’t find Emma Goldman on Twitter to thank her as well.
First, people are just tired of the Kardashian crapfest. Kim could save a box of puppies from a speeding truck at this point, and I would probably assume it was a PR stunt. I am sick to death of seeing this group of ditch pigs every three seconds.
Kim Kardashian: you are (im)famous for being Paris Hilton’s buddy, a chick who banged Ray J, and rubbing your fake booty all over humanity for a buck. If you can’t sit back and enjoy your “money for nothing”…you are even more pitiful than we all think.
The NUMBER ONE issue here is this: If everyone had told Kim that she looked sooooo awesome!!! in her nude picture, all would be well in her world. All she cares about is if people think she’s hot. When she gets called out on putting up an old photo, she cries slut shaming and misogyny. News flash: if you put yourself out there as a cheap ho, people will treat you as such. And showing yourself to be a cheap ho has very little to do with nudity- it has to do with character. Kim Kasdashian has none. Her only tenets are money and fame.
And the fact that this abomination of a woman no longer feels she has her “hot body” is just Karma’s way of having some fun. When you’re as shallow as a puddle, you will easily dry up.
That was awesome.
Kummy Kakes, at be it’s about time you thought of doing something charitable and useful for someone besides you and your train wreck family. Not all publicity has to be good when you’re already famous for nada.
Suzanne..that was beautiful.
I’m pretty sure bobody even remotely suggested that Kim is a feminist icon, nor that she’s the new Gloria Steinem. I don’t think that posting nude pictures is the emblem of feminism but I also don’t think that tearing apart a woman who makes a different choice from me because I disapprove of it is feminism. Obviously a lot of you don’t like nor approve of Kim’s choices and that’s fine; but please don’t try to convince me that what she does (and has always been doing btw) with her body is destroying humanity or is a terrible thing for women all over the world. I’m not in the position to tell other women what to do with their bodies.
Nobody said Kim was destroying humanity. Nobody suggested it either. Nobody is telling her what to do with her body. Kim was called out for being self obsessed and begging for attention.
Trust me I’ve read stuff about how Kim is doing a disservice to women.
There were several comments on the posts about Kim’s nude photo claiming that any woman (not just referring to Kim K) who poses nude, shows her body, or profits off of being sexy in any way is anti-feminist and doing a disservice to women and girls. (Basically, “The immodest women are our victimization!”) . It wasn’t *just* about Kim K being self-obsessed and begging for attention (and I don’t disagree with that assessment of Kim K either. I just think the other stuff is the bigger issue.)
She couldn’t have sent Kim a note? Why does everything have to be so public? This one nude selfie has given Kim weeks of publicity. Enough already.
That’s because Emily Whoever she is wanted the publicity gained by a public comment.
Emily=blah blah blah
Vapid and vacuous sitting in a tree…
So its only feminism when its a current photo and your body isn’t one that you’re proud of? Or one that isnt as flattering or likeable? Good grief the requirements are strong these days.
This is so frustrating. Since when has the relevant and most pointed feminist issue of our time been whether it is feminist to post nude or close to nude pictures of yourself? Anyone can show off their body. It’s fine, do what you want, it’s your body Kim, but it’s ridiculous to cloak it in a feminist cape. I am a professional woman, and what all of us who work in the high levels of business know is that in the board room, in the halls of corporations, women fight so much prejudice both subtle and overt. It can be overcome, but it’s hard work and that is the conversation this nation needs to be having. She cheapens the fight with the way she is framing it, it’s gross and upsetting. I really dislike her and that idiot who defended her. Okay, I feel better now.
Great post. Their particular emphasis on sexuality is BS. These two women need it for their careers. Women can do whatever they want with their bodies and it’s not for others to tell them what to do provided they’re not breaching the boundaries of indecency, but their approach is a cynical marketing ploy. It’s just like Amber Rose going on about being a socialite and having a hard time describing exactly what it is she does – because all they do is market their bodies in a cynical way, as visual consumption products, and then pretend it’s empowerment. I’d say even Lena Dunham is a step up from them in that sense, and even she’s a bit confused about what she’s trying to do with all the nudity.
Exactly. These women have made a career out of posing nude. They use their bodies to make money. A lot of men see women as nothing more than sexual objects. They love seeing women naked and women like this are giving it to them. Is it wrong or right? I won’t be the judge, but please don’t say you do it to empower women or for liberation ! It’s to make money. You are no different than a porn star who does it for a living. I’ve never heard a porn star say she does it for female empowerment. No, she does it for a pay check.
*sigh* There’s standing up for your right for free expression and owning your sexuality and then there’s putting up naked photos to keep your name in the headlines. Talk about blurred lines….
I don’t think Kim likes Emily too much because that is just a bunch of short stemmed white roses in a vase. Where is the flower wall? Or the white rose cube that Kanye gave twizzle?
Dear Emily,
I doubt Kim posted the nude pic as some of sort of feminist statement. In fact I doubt Kim even knows how to spell feminism.
Forget the flowers and note. I want that painting!
I would be more inclined to believe that Kim loves her body,embraces it, if she instead posted her after baby body, and not last years model.
She will be 40 soon, and too old. That must keep her up at night. 5 more years. So gettin while the gettins good, cause those fat injections in her ass are accumulating , small bums will be in by then, and the only way she will appear taller is when shes sitting down.
I would be more inclined to believe that Kim loves her body,embraces it, if she instead posted her after baby body, and not last years model.
She will be 40 soon, and too old. That must keep her up at night. 5 more years. So gettin while the gettins good, cause those fat injections in her ass are accumulating as fat cells go where the parties at , small bums will be in by then, and the only way she will appear taller is when shes sitting down.