Kim Kardashian has never let her fans down, even with one scandal after the next. On Nov. 12, Kardashian “broke the Internet” with 6.6 million views on Paper Magazine. Her seductive, provocative and rather controversial photographs created a stir of responses on Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites. Most people are outraged by her photos for three reasons: The racism behind the photographs, her once again “aim for fame” attitude and mostly because she is now a mother. Even though the article complimented her accomplishments, the photographs behind it cancel out all positivity.
After reading endless articles about Kardashian’s photos, I have come to the conclusion that even though her photos were beautiful and artistic, the context of the photos were not. Looking back into Kardashian’s past, you would think that she would agree that her naked body would not gain her the respect she wants.
She has come such a long way from her past controversies and now they are resurfacing. With her reality TV show “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” her clothing line and her hair styling products coming out in the spring of 2015, there is little doubt that Kardashian is a successful and influential woman. With these photos out, however, will she be able to meet clients with no pre-judgment from her photos?
In the African-American community women are shocked by Kardashian’s lack of knowledge about Hottentot Venus and the ridicule of a black woman’s figure that came behind it. The person who photographed her, Jean-Paul Goude, was actually recreating the photo that he took in 1982 from a novel called “Jungle Fever.” This questionable term “Jungle Fever” is when a non-black person is obsessed with a black person. This furthered the photo’s bad reputation when Goude was quoted in People Magazine in 1979 saying, “I had jungle fever.” He was known in the photography world for having an obsession with black girls and ethnic minorities.
On top of all this, she is a mother and being a mother means being a role model. These photographs do not show that she is a responsible adult even though she is. At 34 years old she is still fairly young and still has time to change her persona. She became popular off of her brand and sex appeal but it does not mean that she has to live that way. After being married with a beautiful daughter, there is still potential for Kardashian, as she posesses amazing influence, a supportive family and an entrepreneurial lifestyle. I cannot wait to see what she does next.
