You could love them. You could hate them. You can judge the throwback home movie made by Kim or roll your eyes at model mogul on every billboard. You can want to lose your mind if you hear the words “Kylie Lipkit” again. You can even think Khloe’s signature catch phrases are filth, but I’m thankful to the Kardashian clan (recognizing some are technically Jenners).
When I was growing (as mentioned in previous articles), I sprouted early. My hips were a solid 37 inches and my breasts a DD cup by end of 8th year. While this may seem like an adult women’s dream, it was hard to not constantly feel uncomfortable. Whether it was my mom’s unending frustration with me outgrowing bras, boys making inappropriate comments, or girls saying I stuffed my bra, it was always brought to my attention in one way or another.
I was one of the few not completely Caucasian girls in my town. This is by no means a criticism of their beautiful bodies but these girls were all size 00 and shopped at Abercrombie and Fitch. Abercrombie and Fitch being a store that I physically couldn’t fit me no matter how hard I tried to smush my boobs.
Then came high school, same thing, though people stopped saying I stuffed (assuming I wouldn’t keep the jig up that long). Suddenly, there was all this chatter about a wild family and big butts. All the girls in my school settled behind their favorite sister or how crazy that fight about the Bentley was to them. Then, I was being told I looked like Kim…
My body type had come into vogue in my small, suburban high school. Sure, we shouldn’t need celebrities to teach us about accepting all body types but at 16, maybe you do. Now, the Kardashians seem to have an effect on the entire world and all of the judgmental fashion industry.
I don’t sit here comparing myself to Kim and wearing a waist trainer with a full face of make-up but I admire their indirect contribution to the body positive movement. They helped bring notice to different body types and changed the idea of one beauty standard. Don’t get me wrong, J.LO and Beyoncé played their part too but the Kardashian media exposure had at least helped me see my body a bit differently.
This is a winded way of saying if you feel unattractive due to a certain beauty standard look at a different culture or a different standard because at the end of it all, there isn’t one set of beauty ideals. Choose your own.
