On October 3, 2016, Kim was victim to a robbery at gunpoint in her hotel in France. There was a reported 11 million dollars’ worth of jewelry that the thieves stole. It was reported that the concierge was handcuffed and threatened with his life before he gave up Kim’s location in the hotel. The robbers proceeded to enter her room and tie the two up in the bathroom. Kardashian-West “begged for her life” telling them she had two kids at home and a husband who loved her. Kanye West stopped his show in New York City as soon as he heard the news of his wife's robbery. Kim remains unharmed, but she’s “badly shaken” and so far, her entire demeanor has changed. She has been seen out concealing her face, keeping a hoodie and sunglasses on to avoid the paparazzi. Additionally, she has been radio silent on social media, and her family members have not said much (if anything) on the attack. The incident was obviously traumatic, it would be for anyone, but people don’t think that treating her like the victim she is is something that we should be doing.
Soon after the news was published, people started making comments about her, wishing her dead. The public, law-enforcement and even celebrities such as Karl Lagerfield have said she shouldn’t have been flaunting her jewelry in public and that she should have expected such a thing to happen because she's such a high-profile celebrity. Some even said that Kim Kardashian deserved it for contributing nothing of value to society. This victim blaming really shines a light on how society views celebrities as objects rather than as people. People cannot seem to fathom that under the glitz and glamor is actually a real-life person. A real-life person who faces real-life situations and just because she’s famous does not mean she does not deserve our sympathy. I know there are other people being robbed at gunpoint, but you can still feel bad for Kim without dismissing the other people who we haven’t even heard about or have no connection to.
This woman was robbed at gunpoint and then, instead of offering her sympathy or just saying nothing at all, she was wished dead because she's a slut. Kim Kardashian was a woman who had her sexual consent violated in 2007 when her sex tape between her and rapper Ray J was published online for the world to see. Sure, she made an awful thing into a multi-million dollar venture, but it does not change the fact that she was publicly shamed and is still shamed for it today. People have been saying that she’s a whore and deserved the traumatic robbery because of the sex tape leak back in 2007. More recently in 2016, she posted a nude selfie and received even more backlash from the public, but Justin Bieber didn't get called a whore for his, and James Franco wasn't branded a "slut" after he was published naked. The sexism that she and her family have faced over the years is appalling, and the reaction to this robbery serves as proof.
Well all know that Kim Kardashian West is famous for being famous, she maintains a public appearance at all times and knows how to use social media to her advantage, as well as her business or charity ventures and popular TV show, Keeping up With The Kardashians (as well as other spin offs). To suggest that she should’ve been shot and even raped proves that you just can’t separate this human being from the brand she has created for herself. Her husband, Kanye West stopped his show in New York the moment he heard the news, Kim flew straight back to New York with her family and friends close behind her. The fact that people have the audacity to suggest that this was staged shows how much we devalue this woman’s life and feelings.
