Nude feud: Kim Kardashian divides the internet… again

Now, we all know that Kim Kardashian isn’t exactly famed for being a wallflower when it comes to revealing photos, but her latest nude selfie has really kicked up a storm. Apparently not satisfied with “breaking the internet” with her 2014 Paper magazine cover, the socialite has managed to do it again, this time using the power of her own Instagram page. Framing the racy snap with the flippant (yet wonderfully sassy) caption of “When you’re like I have nothing to wear LOL”, the 35-year-old showed off her toned 2015 figure with only two black boxes censoring her, ahem… lady regions.

Less than an hour later, Twitter lost its mind. It seemed like everyone crawled out of the woodwork to give their opinion on Mrs West’s nudity, dividing fans and fellow celebrities straight down the middle. Actresses Bette Midler and Chloe Moretz chose to voice their disapproval, with Midler tweeting: “If Kim wants us to see a part of her we’ve never seen, she’s gonna have to swallow the camera”, while the younger star pointed out to Kim that she was supposed to be a role model for younger women (“I truly hope you realize how important setting goals are for young women, teaching them we have so much more to offer than just our bodies”).

However Kim K wasn’t fazed in the slightest and decided to take a leaf out of husband Kanye’s book, calling out her haters in true Yeezy style. Opening her Twitter tirade with a brazen reminder of her immense wealth (“sorry I’m late to the party guys I was busy cashing my 80 million video game check & transferring 53 million into our joint account”), she hit back at Midler and Moretz, branding the former as a fake and the latter as irrelevant. Kardashian also threw in a comment about Moretz’s Nylon magazine cover, which did well in pointing out a large chunk of irony: Ermmm, Chloe… you seem to have forgotten that the only thing covering your body on that picture is a coat—is it really that different from Kim’s?

Nevertheless, not everyone was quite so criticising. Modern Family actress Ariel Winter said it best when she reminded everyone that “No one was body shaming @justinbieber when he posted his nude guitar photo so why @KimKardashian? #herbodyherchoice #InternationalWomensDay”, and later adding that “everyone, men and women, should have the right to choose what they do with their bodies—and not be criticized.”

And isn’t she right? Surely by now people should be beginning to realise that nothing productive comes from slut-shaming women. It’s an irrelevant concept, and the fact that it even has a name shows that it’s gone way too far. Kardashian took to her app and website this International Women’s Day to defend herself, stating that she is empowered by her body and that her goal is—contrary to Moretz’s comments—to try and encourage females all over the world to take the same level of pride in their form and sexuality. She wrote “It’s 2016. The body-shaming and slut-shaming—it’s like, enough is enough. I will not live my life dictated by the issues you have with my sexuality. You be you and let me be me.”

Whatever you may think of Kim Kardashian or her Klan, you have to admit she has a point. To me, this is just another chapter in a long-running debate. Whether it be ‘free the nipple’ or ‘fat vs thin’, we can’t seem to turn our heads away from the row over women’s bodies and what they should or shouldn’t do with them. It’s the 21st century, we should be celebrating the beauty, sexuality, and confidence of women, not slut-shaming or criticising. We’re all different, but we’re all beautiful. How we choose to show that, naked OR clothed, is a personal choice.

Let’s face it, THAT picture is smoking hot and any one of us can understand why the mother-of-two would want to show it off! Let’s stop fighting and embrace the strength of ourselves as females. And to be honest, when it really comes down to it, it doesn’t matter what we all think. This isn’t her first nude picture, and I’m pretty damn sure it won’t be her last!