The famous, or infamous depending on the way you look at it, family is probably not the first group of women you would think of as trail blazers in the battle for body positivity. I’d like to argue that the Kardashians have a lot to offer when it comes to learning how to accept your body.
The first step is that you have to learn how to watch the show. You have to look past the bullshit, and yeah there’s a lot of bullshit to get past. It’d also probably be useful to watch all twelve seasons, but you’re probably more responsible than me and wouldn’t waste your evenings and weekends binge watching rich sisters on TV. The value of watching the show all the way through is that you really see what I mean when I say the Kardashians have taught me something valuable about body acceptance. I’ll take the liberty to summarize for you; to play the highlight reel.
Their bodies have changed and fluctuated throughout the years, and it hasn’t always been for the better as far as societal standards are concerned. Kim hasn’t always had as drastic of curves as she does now, and if you follow her on Snapchat you know she works for that shit. Really hard. She follows the Atkins Diet strictly and works out twice a day. Yes, most of us don’t have the luxury of personal trainers and personal chefs, but at least we know that she struggles with discipline too. Kim has to work for it just like we have to work for it.
Khloé isn’t much different. She will never escape the “fat sister” image that the media put on her during the family’s earlier days of fame, which just shows that no one, despite their success, can escape the unrealistic standards of society. Furthermore, the media’s desire to comment on women’s bodies; to judge women’s bodies. She has not been silent about her weight fluctuation. She is painfully real when she talks about using the gym as a way to fight off anxiety and depression, and not as a tool for punishment.
We see Khloé and her sisters work for the bodies that they have. We don’t just see the finished, airbrushed product on the cover of a glossy magazine. In fact, during photo shoots that are filmed for Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the women aren’t quiet about Photoshop. They aren’t ashamed to use it to contour their bodies like they use bronzer to contour their faces, and that’s okay. Body positivity and acceptance isn’t about fitting into a no make-up, simple clothing stereotype – it’s about creating your own image that makes you confident and that you can own. If that means no bra and no make-up that’s cool. If you want to wear a push up bra and beat your face that’s cool too. Over twelve seasons of the show we have seen the sisters do it all. They aren’t always confident, but they’re honest about insecurities and I think it’s good to see both sides. In reality that’s how most of us live, with highs and lows pertaining to our bodies, and I think it’s helpful to see that other people deal with it too – whether it’s the Kardashians or your mom or a friend.
