Kylie Jenner, 18, recently had a photoshoot for Interview Magazine. The odd photo shoot featured the younger of the Kardashian-Jenner clan posing as a sex doll, showing off her bare butt. However, the most controversial of the shoot was Jenner posing in a wheelchair.
Of course, the other photos in the shoot are outrageous and inappropriate. But this particular one, however, is simply beyond inappropriate and frankly just unacceptable.
I feel sorry for the handicapped community, as they struggle to grasp why, just why, Jenner would decide to pose in a wheelchair for a photo, when they are stuck in one, paralyzed.
Since when is being disabled an accessory in the fashion industry? One wheelchair user, Erin Tatum, 24, who suffers from cerebral palsy, decided to recreate the now infamous photo of Jenner to raise awareness.
“I can barely get people to make eye contact with me, let alone land a cover shoot. If being in a wheelchair is trendy now, I’ve apparently been a trendsetter since before Kylie was born," she said on her now-viral Tumblr post.
Now I know I am in no place to speak for anyone or their families who are handicapped/disabled. I know it is not my business to talk about how horrible it is to be in a wheelchair or watch a loved one suffer and their families care for them. But, it is my responsibility as an active member of society to help raise awareness over Jenner's photo. Of course, the magazine is just as guilty as Jenner in this situation.
In this world today, everything has become a fashion statement. But, it doesn't work like this. This photo shoot isn't the real world, Kylie. People aren't using wheelchairs for a fashion statement or a killer accessory, they are using it as their only means of transporting themselves from point A to point B. They are using it because they are paralyzed and cannot walk or move their legs.
So Kylie, here's a message for you: do not make light of this issue. Instead, maybe you could perhaps raise awarness and donate some of your fortune to causes that help create a cure for these diseases, like cerebral palsy. Maybe you can give some money to families struggling to care for their disabled loved ones due to financial hardships. There are so many ways to go about this, and I beg you to please, please do the right thing as an influential human being in our society. You're powerful, rich and hold a lot of fame. Please put it to good use, please.