Kendall Jenner's Viral Micro-Thong Pics Aren't The Cause Of Your Body Insecurity
Blaming other women for body image issues will not fix anything.
Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock Kendall Jenner’s mini thong photoshoot may have made you look at your body in a different way, but that’s no reason to bash her for flaunting her shape.
Jenner has recently sparked controversy among fans who are accusing her of causing body insecurities in other women.
The backlash stems from a photoshoot for Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS in which the model posed in a micro thong that left many followers wondering how anyone could fit into a garment so small.
Even Jenner’s sister Kim took to her Instagram stories to joke that the 25-year-old left her feeling anxious about appearing alongside her in the photoshoot.
"Okay, so remind me to never do a photoshoot in lingerie with Kendall ever again please, please,” she told her followers as she filmed Jenner posing for a photographer, “She's absolutely perfect. And it's insane how perfect she is.”
But many upset followers took to social media to take comments one step further by blaming the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star for perpetuating unrealistic beauty standards and causing women to feel insecure in their bodies.
Social media users are calling out Kendall Jenner for photoshopping her underwear shots.
Implying that Jenner had edited images to make her stomach appear flatter and her thong appear smaller, negative comments directed at Jenner quickly appeared on Twitter.
One user was quick to point out that the comments cannot be considered body-shaming because the images people are criticizing are not of Jenner’s real body.
Angles, lighting, and poses do mean that Kendall Jenner’s body doesn’t look like it does in the viral photos all the time. But implying that another woman’s body is “fake” does little to promote body diversity or positivity.
Kendall Jenner’s photos are not the real reason women are insecure about their bodies.
Blaming other women for body image issues will not fix anything. Yes, Kendall Jenner as a slim white woman does have the so-called societal “ideal” body type, but seeking to tear her down does not build up other women.
Making comments about another woman’s proportions and how she fits into her underwear is not only invasive, it is potentially damaging to that woman’s view of her own body. Jenner does not know what it’s like to be in another woman’s skin so for her, her body is the norm and she cannot be personally blamed for celebrating that.
Having others analyze her shape and what fits where in every post she shares surely doesn’t feel particularly empowering — nor does this kind of dialogue about women’s bodies encourage others to share the photos that make them feel beautiful.
We have a common enemy here: a system that pits women against each other and punishes us for loving ourselves.
Instead of tearing down Kendall Jenner, we must seek to level the playing field by building up women who don’t look like Jenner when they post images of their bodies in the same exact way we praise skinny models.
Even Kendall Jenner is not immune to body insecurities.
Getting blamed for promoting body dysmorphia or insecurities is a heavy label to carry, especially when those casting this blame have little to no idea what Jenner’s relationship is like with her own body.
Just because someone is praised in public doesn’t mean they don’t have their own body image struggles in private. This is exactly what Jenner proved when she responded to the backlash by revealing that she, too, has “bad days” and told fans, “It’s not always as perfect as it may seem.”
Her tweet revealed another side of the backlash by letting fans in on what it feels like to have your body scrutinized by millions.
Jenner also celebrated another fan who embraced her body after hearing that Kendall has tough days, replying “Yessss Ma’am” to her fans beautiful mirror selfie.
One woman’s confidence does not have to be another woman’s insecurity just because you don’t look like her, and Kendall Jenner is here to prove that.
Being kinder to all women and all body types is the only way we can achieve true body diversity and inclusion in mainstream media.
Alice Kelly is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. She is a generalist with an interest in lifestyle, entertainment, and trending topics.