A few days ago it was International Women’s Day — a celebration of how far the female cause has come over the years, and a remembrance of all the women who have fought and will continue to fight for equal rights and opportunities between the sexes. The day before that, Kim Kardashian posted (yet another) naked throwback picture on social media. As if this is something new for a world that has seen plenty of the 35-year-old mother, from her breakthrough sex tape with Ray J to her numerous Playboy photoshoots — but I digress. Backlash from other female celebrities came with Kardashian’s photo captioned, “Nothing to wear LOL.”
Among others, legendary performer Bette Midler attacked Kardashian by tweeting, “If Kim wants us to see a part of her we’ve never seen, she’s gonna have to swallow the camera.” Ouch — but deserved for a starlet whose fame started with an exploitation of her body via sex tape. Breakthrough actress Chloë Grace Moretz (star of “Kick-Ass” and “The 5th Wave”) joined in the attack on Kardashian in bluntly tweeting, “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.”
Many critics have deemed Moretz’s comment as a form of slut-shaming Kardashian’s open sexuality and relationship with her body all over the media. I have to disagree with those critics. Moretz’s point is simply giving a voice to those young women in Hollywood — and around the world — who are tired of the Kardashians standing for completely superficial forms of fame and success.
Weight-loss supplements, their clothes and makeup lines, their social media presence and, of course, the multiple trashy reality TV shows on E! Network are just numerous examples that support what Moretz is getting at. These are the things most people associate with the Kardashians. They have a monopoly on superficial, body/beauty-centered forms of business. I’m not trying to undermine their success or say they didn’t work hard to get where they are. I’m just questioning why our society pays so much attention to people that are so obsessed with their physical appearance — as if nothing else about a woman matters. Being a celebrity does not mean you have to live a life comparative with that of a saint or religious monk. However, celebrities are held to a different standing of being simply based on the fact that so many people do look up to them, aspiring to be like them and as successful as them.
That’s pretty scary when you think about the impressionable young women out there who have the Kardashians as examples of what success in business, marketing and branding in Hollywood looks like. And with the recent passing of International Women’s Day, Moretz’s comment becomes even more poignant, getting to the heart of what such a day celebrates. Women have been valued solely for their bodies and sexualized for too long, missing out on integral rights of all human beings.
I am proud to say we now live in a world that celebrates the achievements that women have made in social, economic, cultural and political strata, vying for equality one step at a time.
Women like the Kardashians seem to be regressing this female campaign, bringing a woman’s value back to her physical appearance.
And while her open sexuality can be liberating, it can also be dangerous for young girls to think their value is contingent on how skinny they are, or how long their hair is.
Giovanna Bernardo is a junior majoring in English.