Should we feel any feminist outrage with the media’s treatment of Kim Kardashian?

Here is a good example of the ongoing coverage of Kim Kardashian’s pregnancy weight – In Touch Weekly’s cover story this week about Kim “getting paid to get fat”. The cover story is full of lines from insiders claiming things like “She knows what she’s doing by showing off her heavier figure and stuffing her face in public. The more she looks heavy and out of control with her eating, the more she will be worth. Everything Kim does is on purpose.” Basically, the point of the story is that for the Kardashians, any business is good business, and any attention, good or bad, helps the brand. Which I actually believe, despite Kim’s cries and whines to the contrary. Kim’s empire is a house of cards built on attention, famewhoring and pandering to the least common denominator. It’s a living. And a profitable one at that.

But here’s what bugs me – when Kim is held up as some kind of One Of Us Victim. That’s exactly what Gloria Steinem is doing now – Us Weekly spoke to Steinem at an event last week, and they asked her what she thought of the whole “Kim Kardashian looks really big while pregnant” story. Gloria’s reaction was… ugh.

Sometimes help comes from the most unexpected of places. As Kim Kardashian fights back against critics who call her fat, stars including Gwyneth Paltrow, Helena Christensen, and Jenna Dewan-Tatum have rushed to her defense, saying it’s “despicable” to bully a pregnant woman for her weight. And now the reality star can add another name to her list of unlikely allies: Gloria Steinem.

Us Weekly caught up with the famed feminist on April 5 at the 4th Annual Diane Von Furstenberg Awards in New York City, where she voiced her opinion about the recent scrutiny over Kardashian’s ever-evolving curves, and about society’s attitude toward pregnant women in general.

“Our bodies are never public property under any circumstance,” the 79-year-old activist told Us. “It’s wrong, and people in the street who feel the right to touch a pregnant woman’s belly ought to be arrested for harassment. Our bodies belong to us, and if we don’t invite touching, we shouldn’t tolerate it.”

Steinem added that the mistreatment of any woman for her appearance, Kardashian included, doesn’t just hurt the victim — it hurts society as a whole. Criticizing people’s bodies, she said, devalues both their brains and ours.

“If our bodies are treated as ornaments instead of instruments, that’s because we are rebelling because it’s an effort to distract us,” she explained. “So don’t be distracted. Why bother getting caught up in that?”

[From Us Weekly]

As I’ve said many times before, I hate when everyone talks about Kim being “fat”. I hated it when some people did it to Jessica Simpson too, and I find Jessica to be WAY more sympathetic a figure than Kim. I believe “Our bodies are never public property under any circumstance” except for one circumstance: when the woman puts her body, her life, her family and everything else up for sale. When she puts every piece of herself up for public consumption. When her brand is built on a sex tape, bikini photos and a pregnancy. When she’s given us a price for her body – and that price is that we simply pay attention to her and have an opinion of her. That’s why I don’t understand how I, a woman who self-identifies as a feminist, should feel any feminist outrage at the way Kim is being treated in the media. Because she loves every second of it. Because every time we talk about her, that’s money in the bank for her. Because she’ll get the last laugh.

Oh, do you want to hear a less serious Kardashian story? This is from Star Magazine – Kim Kardashian is “forcing” Kanye West to laser away every hair on his body! Kim has been “dragging” Kanye to the salon ever since they started dating because “Kim wants to make sure every hair is gone.” She’s “obsessed” with laser hair removal and her “entire body is hairless”. Kanye seems “happy to oblige as long as it makes Kim happy.” That’s so gross. Ew.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

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202 Responses to “Should we feel any feminist outrage with the media’s treatment of Kim Kardashian?”

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  1. Kaye says:

    In a word: No.

    I have zero sympathy or empathy for this woman or her family. I know Taylor Swift would say this dooms me to a special place in hell–but at least my feet will be warm.

    • BB says:

      I’ve said this over and over again. This is business for the Kardashian’s and the tabloids and blogs are helping their business. Kim doesn’t have to do anything but walk out of the house wearing something and it runs all over blogs/tabloids. For those that say “Kim is irrelevant”, not according to the media. There can be up to 4 stories on Kim and her family on the Daily Mail and Huffington Post daily!

      • Tiffany :) says:

        “There can be up to 4 stories on Kim and her family on the Daily Mail and Huffington Post daily!”

        Not just DM and Huffpo…some other sites that we all know and love. I pointed out there were 4 stories the other day, but my comment didn’t get published. 😉

    • LadyBird83 says:

      Complete agree. If you allow yourself to be objectified on every level in your life, essentially being a whore of all things media/ entertainment, then you should expect scrutiny.

      • lamamu says:

        Exactly right. Kim Kardashian made her body public property before she was pregnant and she’s still at it. If there’s a new angle on self-exploitation, she will find it and use it.

      • Melissa says:

        +1

      • bettyrose says:

        In short, yes, we should feel feminist rage, but not at the the media. The blame falls completely on Kim and her cohorts for promoting themselves as empty vessels to be objectified, scrutinized, and otherwise treated as commodities. Though, really, this is more about human decency than feminism.

      • Sarah says:

        I don’t feel sorry for KK because this pregnancy is just another way for her to merchandise herself and push her brand. Becoming a mother should be something special but for her, it appears to be just another way to famewhore her brand. So as a feminist in her ’50’s, no, I don’t feel bad for KK. The dress she is wearing on the cover of In Touch does not ask the public to look away, I need my privacy, my body is not to be objectified. It screams OMG, my boobs are huge, look at them, look at them. Even the miracle of birth is just one more personal experience to be exploited. It’s sad.

    • beatrice sparkplug says:

      Exactly: no. It’s a misplaced argument. Kim has always sold herself as an ornament. And to repeat what Steinem said, “if we don’t invite touching, we shouldn’t tolerate it.” “If” is the operative term here. Kim keeps the door and all the windows open for any kind of attention, so the feminist argument or any complaints about her pregnant body being a spectacle are RIDICULOUS.

      • Silly Girl says:

        It IS a misplaced argument and if Gloria knew what she was actually speaking to, she’d probably rephrase.

      • Alarmjaguar says:

        I don’t know, she we not help prostitutes who are victims of violence b/c’ they put their bodies out there and asked for it?’ I agree she puts her body out there, but I think then saying anything happens to her is her fault is akin to back in the day when if you were a woman on the street, you had made yourself public and were open to attack. It allows for weird sexist attacks oon women and then blames them for it. I don’t love her, but I don’t like this. For ex, I am a teacher and get up in fromt of my classes everyday. I suppose I put myself into the public eye, but that doesn’t give anyone the right to talk about my body…

      • bettyrose says:

        Alarmjaguar – There’s a flaw in that argument that I’m still working on identifying, so bear with me. Prostitutes are trading a service for cash (often out of dire necessity) rather than simply “selling” their image for scrutiny. Teachers, obviously, are there to offer knowledge. Yes, they often are physically in front of a class, but that is not the same as offering their physical beings for judgement. Nevertheless, no one is saying that KK deserves less ownership of her body than anyone else, just that the media is not really the party at fault for her image when the woman does everything in her power to garner media attention based entirely on her image (not her talent/intellect/contributions, etc).

  2. bowers says:

    No. We equally dislike her and Justin whatshisname. It has to do with the individual not the gender.

  3. A says:

    Lol no. It’s just karma coming back to bite her in that fat ass.

    • anonimouse8319 says:

      “These” people make their livings based on their looks; good press and bad. She looks terrible but it has a lot to do with her wardrobe choices. We (women) love to tear each other up, though. We are the first to gripe about it being the media, but it’s u; we are our own worst enemies.

  4. DailyNightly says:

    When you make yourself a public exhibition, expect comments. Not all of them will be positive.

    • i'm french don't kill me says:

      do you want that she stays at home??

      the difference between Simpson and Kardashian is that Simpson boasted about to eat like a pig during her pregnancy whereas Kardashian tries to stay healthy(she goes to the gym regulary)and clearly she doesn’t know how to wear

      • Cece says:

        No, we want a woman who sells every moment and aspect of her life to the highest bidder to not complain when the public ceases to like what she is shilling. Stay in, go out, it doesn’t matter. Just stop playing victim when you very, very clearly set up the system.

      • Gigi says:

        BUT she CHOOSE to be in the spotlight?! The look is only thing this woman has. No one pushed her to be the star of porno movie or reality show. I just don’t understand people who defend her

        She never showed us her inteligence or a bit of character NOTHING, except her body and face. There are many other celebrities who don’t have perfect bodies and they don’t recieve that much ”hate”… I’m not a hater, I don’t really care for KK.. I’m just being realistic

      • Jenny says:

        GTFOH!! I know you didn’t just try to defend Kim Kartrashian by throwing Jessica Simpson under the bus. I have no problem with chunky people. I have at times in my life been one myself, but I didn’t go out looking like a fatass and then claim to be so healthy where my biggest guilty pleasure was carrots an ranch. I can’t with this chick; at least Jessica Simpson was honest, instead of trying to sell us some BS that we would only believe if we didn’t have eyes.

    • t says:

      I don’t know Jenny…I think there is no difference between Simpson and Kardashian.

      Both made their fame as CeCe, DailyNightly, and GiGi said by making their personal lives public spectacles and really can’t complain about comments (positive or negative) after they’ve spent years trying to get the tabloids to focus on them for any reason at all (for example; “look who’s urinating on me in this sex tape in Kim’s case”; and in Simpson’s past, “watch me marry a boybander who will later deflower me in our made-for-tv newlywed bliss ’cause I’m all virginal” and today “look how much extra amniotic fluid I have which has nothing to do with how much I enjoy gorging on slutty brownies”.

      They are both human billboards who sell ad space to the highest bidder.

      • Jenny says:

        Don’t disagree with you there @T. Was just saying, when women get pregnant, many gain a lot of weight. I know I did. But I also know it wasn’t from eating carrot sticks. All I was trying to say was at least Simpson owned up to eating everything and didn’t try to lie about the fact that she was gaining weight, unlike Kim.

      • Dutch says:

        And in Kim’s case this “weight issue” really seems to be the groundwork and/or lure for a Weight Watchers or other diet plan ad campaign. She is building quite a catalog of dumpy looking “before” pictures for the campaign.

      • Missy423 says:

        Not all woman get huge while pregnant because they r eating everything and anything. I gained 70 pounds while pregnant and I ate great! I barely ate anything that was bad except for the occasional chocolate chip cookie. My daughter was almost 11 pounds when born and perfectly healthy. 5 months later and I weigh what I did before I was pregnant.

    • Kim says:

      Exactly. She wanted the fame & everything that comes with it.

  5. marie says:

    I think this is what happens when you court the tabloids and they turn on you.. I mean, she’s pregnant and her weight shouldn’t be a factor BUT when she’s used the same tabloids to lie about her thinner weight then, I think she somewhat brought it on herself.

    • Nina W says:

      She definitely brought it on herself and she was already the subject of excessive tabloid coverage so it’s not that new. She is part of a media empire and being talked about constantly is part of that. This was most definitely what she got pregnant for the attention, magazine covers, building the brand. I’m sure she would prefer to be liked but she’ll take the attention and the cover in any form.

  6. Faye says:

    Gloria Steinem should save her feminist outrage for women who really need it, like the oppressed women of Saudi Arabia who can’t drive without being persecuted, or the many women circumcized against their will, or forced into sex slavery as young children. Not that women in the West don’t suffer hardships, but someone who still makes money off a sex tape, and pimps herself out on the regular? My heart’s not bleeding for Kim Kardashian, for sure.

    • Hoya_chick says:

      I agree with everything you said! She has no discernible talent. Her whole ‘career’ is based on her looks and her body. You can’t have it both ways: talk about me when I’m thin in a bikini on a beach when I’ve called the paps but don’t talk about my body when I am dressing in ill fitting ridiculous outfits that do nothing but highlight every lump and bump. I don’t care about her weight, I care about the terrible fashion choices she has been making! When she actually dresses and flatters her body she doesn’t even look that big.

      Oh and Kaiser, I highly doubt Kanye is getting hair removed on the regular since he and Kim have barely spent any time together since they announced she was pregnant. I find that more interesting, than the whole every one is picking on Kim and calling her fat. Where is Kanye? I couldn’t imagine spending my first pregnancy alone. Yuck.

    • aims says:

      Yes!! There are so many victims of violence against women in the world. Horrific crimes against women that is senseless. I would never put Kim Kardashian in that category.

      This is a girl who has sold her life to the bidder. She craves and seeks out attention. She seems to have no moral compass at all and is only sorry for anything, when someone calls her out on it. She has been groomed to be who she is today. So no, you can’t say stop when you’ve baited the press for everything else.

      To put her in a category of women who are truly victims of violence is offensive.

    • Nicolette says:

      Everything you said Faye, and then some. Women are being brutalized daily around the world and not a peep out of Steinem about that. Not a peep about women being stoned to death because they were RAPED and somehow “shamed” their families. Not a peep about how women are constantly objectifying themselves, and so on.

      “Our bodies are not public property under any circumstance”? When you are talking about a woman whose claim to fame is a porno showing her getting urinated on, I say it’s open season. Kim spends her life in front of a camera and wouldn’t have it any other way, her narcissism wouldn’t allow otherwise. So she needs to hush up when snarky things are being said about her. Don’t like it, then get the hell out of the “limelight” you so pathetically pursue daily. Wanna be a fame whore, then deal with it or else take your hideous outfits, and lumpy ass and go away already.

      • Faye says:

        Seriously, what else are we going to talk about besides her body? Her towering intellectual accomplishments? Her great humanitarian work?

    • bluhare says:

      + a bazillion, Faye.

    • Leen says:

      I agree but again feminists had a hard time relating to the non-westerners unfortunately.

  7. Barrett says:

    She did show us her whole body from day 1 of her fame game. So is it nice no, but she took the risk and it goes full circle. It is almost getting ridiculous that its such a daily activity of the papps.

  8. lisa2 says:

    I don’t know if this is a feminist issue. I don’t agree with her being called FAT when she is pregnant. We as women call other women the C word or a Slut and that is fine when it is a woman we don’t like. And if a man says it we get all offended. I think Gloria and others had many changes to speak out on a lot of other issues besides this one with Kim. I could give several examples of my wanting women such as her and women groups to come forward and say ENOUGH.. yet they were silent; and these attacks were directed at children. Kim is an adult.

    The problem I have with Kim and her family and this situation is it is all about the attention. Kim and her family have put themselves on Television on a weekly basis. I have seen her and her sister/mother say that everything is on the table. So opening your life in that way to people welcomes this kind of attention. I think it is quite different then a celeb doing an interview to promote a film or work. But the “K” life is their job so the lines are blurred.

    regarding Kanye.. I think it is really sad for her in a way that she is going through this pregnancy pretty much on her own. because for a man having his first child with the woman he “loves’ he has been very absent.

    • bettyrose says:

      lisa2 – It is never okay for women to call other women the C word or “slut” as a means of demeaning the other woman. We hurt all women, and thus we hurt ourselves, when we demean other women out of spite or jealousy.
      Having said that, I generally consider “slut” a compliment. Nothing wrong in being proud of your sexuality.

  9. sasa says:

    Let me think about it. No.

  10. Baskingshark says:

    I think part of the problem here is that people like Gloria frequently fail to understand that not everyone out there shares their value system, in many cases because culture has evolved negatively. What you say is absolutely correct. KK does not care what is said about her, as long as something is said. For her, it’s nothing to do with feminism, how she’s perceived as a woman or how the way that she puts herself out there impacts other women, it’s just about making sure she’s being talked about because she and her family make money out of it and get publicity and that is their driving force. And frankly, if she and her family weren’t so loathsome, I don’t think the magazines, gossip columns and net posters would be being half as nasty about her weight gain as they are being.

  11. mari says:

    Steinem did say: “if we don’t invite touching, we shouldn’t tolerate it.”

    But KK clearly is inviting all kind of attention. – So no need to feel feminist or any other kind of outrage on her behalf.

  12. Elisabeth says:

    the whole basis of her ‘fame’ is her image. Why weren’t they (feminist) screaming she was being exploited when that sex tape got ‘leaked’ oh yeah, because Kim leaked it and wanted to be famous. Tough Shit Kim

  13. Lucy2 says:

    She brought all of this on herself. I get Gloria’s point, But I also think part of feminism is being able to call out women who behave poorly, and not giving them a pass because they happen to be women.

    • It is ME!! says:

      This is a great, great point!

      Most people don’t dislike Kim for her weight, they dislike her personality and what she represents.

      And can we agree that, pregnant or not, a woman can weigh whatever she wants, be that skinny or fat, as long as she is happy and healthy with herself? The shaming of women who are naturally skinny or big boned or on the larger side is f$*king dumb.

    • MonicaQ says:

      This right here.

    • lucy says:

      I have never derided a woman about her weight. I have always complained about Kardashian principles and values and style. I judge her for her ACTIONS and could not care less about her or her weight (unless her health becomes a risk to another human being; come to think of it, I do think Kim’s — and Kris J’s — mental health is harmful to society and a danger to her spawn.) Their actions do shape and influence society. But so do ours. Through the media, their pervasive reach is loud and frequent and persistent. We who reject what she/they bring(s) to society need to push back, loudly, frequently, persistently.

      We gave them money and power, we can stop.

      We can end the Kardashian reign of garish vain selfish greedy terror by not feeding the beast.

      I wish them no harm; I want a restraining order against them, for the public good.

      I wonder if Gloria Steinem has a thought about that?

      • It is ME!! says:

        I was agreeing with you, Lucy. There were still people on this thread fat-shaming, which is the LAST reason they should hate on Kim. There are about a million other reasons to do so.

    • Elle Kaye says:

      Exactly, Lucy. If you wipe yourself on a cloth napkin for your sister to smell, in front of cameras for the whole world to see, then you will not, nor should you ever be, treated with respect. She has sold her dignity, and therefore she is treated with none. She sells her image, and right now her image looks frumpy and ridiculous. Why wouldn’t people comment? If she wants praised when she posts a photoshopped image of herself in a bikini, then she should expect negativity when we see her in too tight, bust-about-to-pop dress. Cover yourself, and do it appropriately. And if you can’t do that, then don’t ever try hawking clothes to the public ever again.

    • blaize says:

      Fine. Then criticize her BEHAVIOR, not her weight. That’s the issue.

  14. berry says:

    Is anyone else grossed out by the whole Suri goes on date “lucky boy”, she’s just a little kid! Other than that I had sympathy for KK to begin with but now it is really wearing thin. She needs to go away and STFU already.

    • i'm french don't kill me says:

      Suri Cruise’s “date” story is so pathetic like all stories about bra less celebrities.

  15. Cheshire says:

    It’s “lowest common denominator”

  16. Ann says:

    People seem to not have read Steinem’s statement. She was talking about pregnant women in general including KK. She’s right, strangers shouldn’t feel welcome and entitled to touch a pregnant woman’s body (I mean, WTF is up with that), and ridiculing a pregnant woman for the changes her body is going through is just plain hateful.

    • Tapioca says:

      Ridiculing a pregnant woman for the changes in her body IS hateful. However, ridiculing KIM KARDASHIAN is well-earned schadenfreude.

      The moment you CHOOSE to appear on the front cover of Vacuous Slebs Weekly in all your primped, plucked, sucked, tucked, bikini’d and PHOTOSHOPPED glory to talk about the trauma of trying to lose 5lbs with only a personal chef, trainer, nutritionist, cosmetic surgeon, airbrush technician and colonic irrigation hose to help you, you kinda lose the right to complain about people critiquing your body, y’know?

      And this is a woman, don’t forget, who made sure she was photographed out, a day or so later, in the same Herve Leger bandage dress as sister Khloe had worn, specifically so that people would compare and (unfairly to Khloe) contrast their bodies.

      Because, y’know, she’s an evil bitch who derives great pleasure from messing with her OWN SISTER’S self-esteem…

    • bluhare says:

      Ridiculing and criticising are two different things. I criticised Jessica Simpson when she was pregnant for stuffing everything she could find into her mouth and getting fat. It’s not healthy for the baby. But I didn’t ridicule her. Two different things.

    • Elle Kaye says:

      Ann, there is one simple truth in all of this…people do not like Kim Kardashian. She is mean. To her sisters, to other people. She uses the media to garner attention, then cries if the attention is not to her liking. I cannot feel sorry for her. She had a platform from which she could have spoken out to help any number of people. She never did. Now she wants our support? No. She gained weight, which is natural. And she will lose it. Now she needs to put on her big girl pants and address the issue with the truth…not the BS she has been spewing.

  17. e.non says:

    no. this cow loves any and all publicity. and if she can portray herself as a victim, then all the better.

    and seriously, there are way more serious issues steinem should be devoting her comments to than this.

    • Jane says:

      Agree. She loves, loves, loves the publicity. When you court trashy tabloids, you take what you can get. She eclipsed Duchess Katherine’s pregnancy and that is what she wanted.

      And let’s be honest, next year it will be all about her “amazing weight loss and how Kim got her body back” so she will have headlines for a long time to come.

      No pity from me at all. Women have many more difficult issues than this woman’s (lack of fair pay, health care, etc. and let’s not go into other international issues) “fat” problem. She is richer than dirt and has health care.

  18. Sam says:

    We should be outraged though not necessarily as feminists.

    1 – it doesn’t matter
    2 – it isn’t news
    3 – these stories are blatantly becoming more and more made up ‘says a source close to the actress’

  19. NerdMomma says:

    I agree with every word Steinem said. It didn’t sound like she was “defending” KK in particular, it sounded like she was making a statement about how society views pregnant women in general. And I agree, how we talk about KK influences how we think about all pregnant women.

    I disagree with the sentiment that we should “save our feminist outrage” for more important issues. I don’t have a finite amount of outrage. I can feel strongly that female circumcision should be stopped, and that pregnant women in the US should not be judged on their weight gain.

    • Maya Memsaab says:

      Fantastic comment. Thank you for that.

    • Cherry says:

      THANK YOU. Well put comment. It’s so easy to just put KK’s case aside saying that ‘she put it on to herself’. That’s not the point. I blame Steinem for choosing KK as an example, frankly, because everything people focus on now is how much they dislike KK instead of what it’s actually about: our distorted ideas about female ‘beauty’ and how the media write about female bodies as if they are somehow public property. Frankly, that outrages me as well. And I don’t give a crap about the Kardashians.

    • Jenny says:

      I disagree with conflating Kim with all other pregnant women. They are not the same or equal and I think you take the situation out of context by ignoring who and what Kim Kardashian is. She courts this kind of attention so I’m not outraged by media treatment of her whatsoever.

    • Asiyah says:

      I love your comment, NerdMomma.

    • Elle Kaye says:

      But shouldn’t we also be outraged about how Kim Kardashian portrays us as women? That in order to achieve success we must bare our bodies? That an education isn’t as important as selling your “brand,” which, in Kardashian speak, equates to their bodies? The young girls are no longer in school. They are now modeling. The oldest sisters have no real social skills, as evidenced on their television show. They are vulgar. It really isn’t a surprise that Kim is not treated with respect. So do we blame society for being mean to pregnant women, including KK, or in this case, should we look at KK for making it harder on pregnant women by the distasteful behavior she displayed leading up to the pregnancy?

      Just a thought.

  20. Daahling says:

    Preach, Kaiser! Yes, it can be argued that the media is anti feminist and sexist for the way Kartrashian is portrayed. But as you mentioned, she brought it upon herself. And no, she isn’t fat she is pregnant, but she is a famewhore porn star who is married and knocked up by a different man. She capitalizes on all of her slimy actions. I’m sorry, but that’s my morals showing.

  21. elceibeno08 says:

    Thank you! I feel so much better after reading the analysis on this post. Now we can all continue to make fun of Kim Kardashian without feeling a shred of guilt. Of course she loves the attention. She is after all, the famewhore of all famewhores. Long live Kim, the greatest famewhore of all times. The more we call her fat, the more money she banks. So it is a win/win situation for both sides. We get to laugh at her ass and her ridiculous clothes and she gets to be in the spotlight and to make even more money.

    I tried laser hair removal on my back years ago. IT HURT LIKE A MOTHERF**KER. I never came back for the second treatment.

  22. Trillian says:

    While I think that pregnancy in no excuse to gain unlimited weight, I don’t even think she has gained all that much. She’s just short.

    My issue is with her clothes. If she doesn’t want to look like a beached whale, why the hell does she dress like that??? Trust her to find the only unflattering maxi dress in the universe. That is really a special talent …

    • HH says:

      EXACTLY! Everyone expected the weight gain, but no one expected her (the owner of clothing line mind you) to dress like she doesn’t own a full-length mirror.

  23. GoldenState says:

    Ok, but my gripe is this: does Kim K. really “invite” fat-shaming and surveillance because she chose to live the life of a public celebrity? I understand she chose this sort of lifestyle, but does that mean she asked for bullying? How far will the media invade and comment on private lives and pregnant bodies? I still find it gross, no matter who it is.
    (And by the way, even look at all the vitriol your article has produced! Commentators on here are even fat-shaming her, calling her “cow” and “fat.”)

    • Jenny says:

      She bullies her own sister the same way, so yes I do in a sense think she asks for it by being a nasty piece of work and then stepping out with an enlarged figure in uber-tight and ridiculous clothing. Many other celebs have gained weight while pregnant without this kind of scrutiny or vitriol.

  24. mary says:

    she should be ignored, not called fat.

    the media and the public are just as much to blame for her making money and ‘having the last laugh’ as she is. she knows it, that’s why she would never stop unless we stopped looking or commenting.

    we have to stop.

    stop writing about her or any of her family.

    Stop commenting every time she goes outside in a new outfit. Just let her walk around and don’t let her hear a camera shutter go off. She’ll be confused, then she’ll go away.

    we choose who we give power to, and it’s time we stop feeding the beast that is Kardashian.

    they are terrible for society. they are terrible for women.

  25. kristine says:

    Let me start off by saying I don’t care about Kim one way or the other.. but today when i was shopping I did see a tabloid at the check out counter with big headlines about her weight and I do remember saying to myself .. ˝oh fuck off, she’s pregnant.” /shrug

  26. JL says:

    I’ll worry about respecting a lady when she acts like one.

    Now dinging her for pregnancy weight gain is a bit much. That’s just disrespecting myself and mothers in general. i bet Jessica Simpson is happy to have the heat off of her – and you know what? Jessica was pretty well dressed and cute pregnant so WTF?

  27. Nev says:

    They are all the same. So what if she had a sex tape?!!!! They all are famewhores and use the paps and media to make money…some are just more slick at it than Kim is. I think she is unfairly judged for the weight…and if she is doing it on purpose then she is smarter than people give her credit for. They allllll do it.

    • GoldenState says:

      Yes! Which star hasn’t documented themselves having sex/posing naked/doing drugs in the past five years?! It’s amazing how people are both fat-shaming and slut-shaming KK at the same time.

      And by the way, I love how Channing Tatum can talk about his past life as a stripper and even make a movie about it, and somehow he avoids criticism.

      • Nev says:

        and Colin Farell and Pamela Anderson and Minka Kelly and Rob Lowe…..

      • Jenny says:

        Not that I judge either one, but I wouldn’t really put stripping and getting peed on in a porno on quite the same level.

      • Nev says:

        am I suppose to believe that nobody on this thread has been peed on during any type of sexual or shower encounter?

        I really don’t believe that.

        people have many different types of fetishes…some more extreme than the other.

        if THAT is the big thing about all this hate towards her…its pretty lame.

        just saying.

        Also who knows if
        Channing kept it to stripping and never did any other favors to make money on the side?!!!! But he is in the clear for some reason…HE USED HIS BODY TO MAKE MONEY TOO. AND EVEN PROFITED MAKING A BIO PIC MOVIE ABOUT IT.

      • blaize says:

        Agreed. Some of our biggest icons over the past decades have slept with married men, gone nude for playboy, and done several other things similar to or the same as the things that Kim Kardashian has done. So to me using the fact that she has a released sex tape and has shown lots of skin as justification for body-shaming her doesn’t make much sense. I have no problem with people critizing her for her whiny, overexposed (she and her family are everywhere!) drama queen-ways. I do have a problem with the body-shaming because it’s an issue that goes far beyond Kim K.

  28. Agnes says:

    Nope.

    The only outrage I feel is related to the way this woman got famous – by selling her own sex tape in which she gets peed on, pretending that it leaked (hehe), and then riding that gravy train. THAT is what I find disturbing. She puts her life willingly on tv and in tabloids, she courts the attention, so she shouldn’t be surprised that, at some point, she will attract negative comments.

  29. dorothy says:

    I basically agree with Steinem. Except in the case of KK. Kim’s entire career is based on her body. She thrives on the attention that she gets because of it; whether it be good or bad attention.

  30. Merritt says:

    I agree with what Gloria said. It was pretty clear that she was making a statement about how society views women and their bodies. I don’t think it a defense of Kim Kardashian.

  31. HK9 says:

    Mmmmmmm no. We wouldn’t know about her weight if she wouldn’t stop talking about it. This is the same woman who threw her own sister under the bus saying that Kourtney weighed more than her at this point so no I don’t feel sorry for Princess Pee Pee.

  32. Deb says:

    I will save my feminist outrage for the Steubenville rape victim and others like her. But a plastic famewhore ‘reality star’? GTFO

  33. Cece says:

    I really wish that Gloria Steinem would instead address the need for these women like Kim to sell their bodies and personal lives for publicity. That is the heart of the problem – women who use their bodies instead of their brains to make a living. Shouldn’t she be concerned that women like Kim portray women as vapid, talentless, and obsessed with their looks to the extent that they will butcher their bodies and faces? If Gloria really wanted to help the young women of today, she would condemn the soulless tactics of folks like the Kardashians.

    • Dawn says:

      This +100000.

    • It is ME!! says:

      Kim didn’t need to sell her face or body to make a living; she is the daughter of wealthy parents (and the stepdaughter of a famous stepdad). She already had wealth at her disposal to do what she wanted, be that go into business or go to college.

      If you have to strip to pay tuition, bills, or put food in your child’s stomach, I’m not gonna hate on you. So not all women who use their bodies to make a living should be condemned, but Kim K. certainly doesn’t fall into this category.

    • Asiyah says:

      Cece, you have a great point. While I do not believe Gloria was defending KK, per se, she hasn’t really addressed the core issue here–a woman who has willingly decided to be objectified. That’s a more serious problem than weight gain.

    • Elle Kaye says:

      Oh, enough already. I will not stand up for a woman who wiped herself on a napkin so she could have a vaginal smell-off with her sister…on television. Kim called her sister an evil ugly troll and if she didn’t lose weight she would lose her husband. And I am to feel a kinship with her? No. She is not deserving. Jessica Simpson I feel sorry for, because no matter what she does, people watch her weight. But this woman? She has attacked too many other woman to garner my sympathy. Perhaps being on the other side may bring her some clarity. Would I ever call her names because of her pregnancy weight gain? Of course not. But charity starts at home…and there is no charity in her heart.

  34. Maria says:

    If you shame her for body, you’re not an advocate for women’s right, you’re perpetuating a viscous cycle.

    Critique her for legitimate reasons, not her size, that’s body shaming.

    Porn stars are people to: outside of viewings, their filmography, and meet/greets they do not deserve to be objectified or vilified.

    What you do is rarely who you are; Kim deserves flack but not for her weight.

    • Dreamory says:

      The thing is this – we get her body shoved down our throats on a daily basis. People are going to get pissed off about that and attack it. It’s not necessarily right, but it’s understandable. At this point, I don’t watch T.V. or buy those magazines so I am not as angry, but for the other people who have to see her if they want to or not and are not willing to go to those lengths to avoid her, it’s frustrating.

    • Just Me says:

      THIS! Well said, Maria!!

    • Elle Kaye says:

      Maria, what right do you have to say who is or isn’t an advocate for women’s rights? Kim Kardashian is setting women’s rights back with her behavior, and I am supposed to condone it? I think you have lost sight of what the movement truly means. It gave us the right to vote, to have an equal voice, and equal rights in the workplace, i.e, sexism. Do you know how hard women worked to not be objectified? And now we have reality shows based solely upon objectification. No. I will not be told I am not for women’s rights simply because I find the antics of this woman repulsive. Any self-respecting woman would also be repulsed by her vapid behavior. She is selling sex, and young girls are buying it up, thinking that they too could be rich if they follow her plan.

      And sex-workers are human beings, but to condone it is to condone the abuse of women. Is that really what you want? Do you think that subjecting their body to men every night somehow allows them to go home and feel well-adjusted? No. But they make money to survive and so they do it. But that is not female empowerment. Not by a longshot.

  35. Nan209 says:

    Gloria is assuming everyone has the same integrity she has in her life. I agree that Kim K. and her family have put their lives up for sale, that is the only thing she is famous for, selling her life. For Kim to be offended by the attention she gets seems hypocritical of her (if she truly is).

    However, I also agree that the media focusing on her weight is just ridiculous. Being pregnant does a number on a woman’s body. I was a skinny mini when I got pregnant and immediately my weight shifted and my breasts got huge by the time I was 3 months (they stayed that way too…B cup to a DD cup was traumatic).

  36. Kristen says:

    If we lived in a vacuum, and could analyze the media’s treatment of Kim Kardashian apart from the media’s poor treatment of thousands of other women, then sure. I agree with you. But unfortunately it’s impossible to do that.

    Gloria is right. Pregnant women/overweight women/non-males in general are under a microscope. Valuing women for their looks instead of their accomplishments is harmful to society as a whole. Period.

    And there are probably thousands of pregnant women out there that look just like Kim Kardashian, except larger. How do they feel when they read tabloid covers like this? You don’t think they internalize it, thinking “Well, shit, she looks way better than me and they’re calling her a fat cow.”

    So it’s not JUST Kim Kardashian.

  37. Dawn says:

    Absolutely NOT. She lives for this kind of stuff and everyone knows it. As long as people and the MEDIA are talking about her and paps (or perhaps her assistant) are snapping her pictures she is more than happy. But we should hold the MEDIA responsible for making her into something that she is not, and that is both talented and important. God.

  38. Blaze says:

    We should feel feminist outrage at the fact that Kim Kardashian ever became “a thing” in the first place…

    • Cece says:

      This – that’s the real affront to strong women everywhere.

    • littlemissnaughty says:

      Word.

      I don’t understand how THIS is something Gloria Steinem chooses to comment on. There is so much wrong with how the media treat women and there are many in the spotlight who could use a little support because of how their bodies are talked about. But Kim Kardashian of ALL people? No. She has exploited everything that is wrong with the media and made a career of it. She both exploits and reinforces dumb stereotypes and I can’t bring myself to feel even an ounce of compassion for the way she’s being treated now. And that is the first time I can even say this about another woman, pregnant or not.

      But Steinem is an old school feminist and I suspect she doesn’t fully comprehend just how much damage the likes of KK do to young girls. She’ll always defend the woman and that’s usually admirable but entirely misplaced in this case.

    • Asiyah says:

      Exactly, Blaze.

    • Kloops says:

      Nailed it.

      Kim’s entire “career” is predicated on her inviting the public gaze on her body. Everything about KK damages women in some small way. I don’t think she should be fat shamed, but I don’t think she, or GS, should be surprised when her physical form continues to be a topic of discussion. The Kardashians created and unleashed this beast.

  39. The Original Mia says:

    Ah, Gloria…not even you could make me sympathetic to Kim. Don’t be fooled. Kim wants the attention. If we ignored her, she would freak out.

  40. The Original G says:

    Well I’m not in favor of getting on any woman for her weight, including Kim. But. Kim has spent the last 10 years merchandising and monetizing every bit of her body, mind and soul. She has transformed herself from a person to a product.

    Just because she’s pregnant that doesn’t make her immune to being accountable for the issues associated with her, namely, but not only, that she misrepresents the “reality” of her life for rapacious commercial gain and is a fraud.

    If she holds herself out as some spokesperson on fashion, it is entirely legitimate to expose that she’s not very fashionable. BTW, that’s the sphere SHE’S chosen for herself, not the public

    It’s OK for us to see that and being pregnant isn’t some instant amnesty for her fame whoring. We have no duty as women to keep Kim popular and profitable. And it’s OK to question the value of her fame and whether or not she is totally full of shit.

  41. Karen says:

    I agree with Gloria on the belly touching. If you wouldn’t touch my belly before I was pregnant Why would you think I’d want you to when there’s actually a baby in there. I’m looking at you stranger women in stores.

    • Jenny says:

      I can’t believe that people actually do this!?!? Never happened to me with a stranger; I think I would have freaked out. I was a little uncomfortable with people I know touching my belly.

  42. Mabs says:

    Not one bit. That…’person’ deserves every iota of damaging coverage the public can muster. Thank Jesus I don’t have girls because she is, hands down, the WORST role model on the planet. Well. Aside from the Cracken.

  43. lmo says:

    I agree totally, in this case you get what you sign up for. I really do believe that she’s looking for some kind of weight loss deal, because honestly she wears the worst, I repeat THE WORST clothes. When her sister was pregnant she dressed really nicely why can’t kim? Cause she looking for that weight watchers cheddar!!!

  44. Diva says:

    No. The only outrage I feel is that these people were able to get famous and making millions off of mediocre personalities and pathetic attention whoring.

  45. Mar says:

    This is a woman that have tried to shove herself down our throats for years. I feel no sympathy for her pathetic fashion choices pregnant or not. I don’t feel pity for anyone that looks for attention all the time and them when they get negative attention it becomes a problem. She should be happy anyone even mentions her name

  46. mel says:

    Calling a pregnant woman fat is really never ok. No I am not a KK fan…but when the media stoops to that level it just really disgusting.

  47. TG says:

    This is a woman who had her servant, I mean sister, smell her vagina on national television. Ms Steinem should use her voice for issues that matter. From what I took out of her rant is she is a paid spokeswoman for the national sugar association since she appears to be promoting obesity

    • maria says:

      so gross the vag smelling I mean really! Certain things are better left unknown and the smell of her vag is one of them!I also do not want to see sisters sniffing each others pussies! This is borderline twin porn! ewww

  48. Melissa says:

    Nope. She’s a fame whore. Cruel articles come with fame, and she chased it.

  49. Runs with Scissors says:

    Preach it, NerdMama!

    If you think shaming and objectifying a woman for her body is WRONG, then you don’t get to pick and choose WHEN it’s wrong.

    Some of the comments on here sound DANGEROUSLY like “well, she dressed like a total slut so she knew the risks, she deserved to be raped!!!” (obv. NOT equating rape with tab coverage!)

    Sure, go after her for being a vacuous moron who contributes to the rabid objectification and degradation of women, but then STOP yourself from being a hypocrite. Don’t objectify and degrade her for her body, even if she’s “asking for it.”

    If we stop focusing on women’s looks and start challenging them on their actions, people like KK will fade into oblivion, and then the rest of us will “get the last laugh” if that’s what we’re really after.

    • TG says:

      Your argument makes the most sense to me of why we (I) should stop commenting on this woman’s body. Since kim is only about her looks, whether that be fat, skinny, or what she is wearing she will fade away very quickly since she is not made of substance.

    • littlemissnaughty says:

      The problem with this argument in reference to KK is, that she did literally “ask for it”. “It” being tabloid coverage at any cost. And she has made her body the main event. She has always invited talk about her body. Until now. Because now she can’t control how it looks, she can’t diet, she can’t nip and tuck it, and she’s much less in control in general when it comes to the appearance of her body. So NOW it’s not okay anymore.
      Except … she is still selling her body, posting belly pics on Twitter. So she’s posting them because she doesn’t want us to talk about it? Really?

      The rape analogy doesn’t work for a very simple reason. Nothing has changed. We’re talking about her body, as we did before. If you say women who wear short skirts invite rape, that’s ridiculous of course. And heavy/curvy women don’t ask to be fat-shamed, that’s true. But it’s not the state of KK’s body that suddenly invited the coverage, it was her. Literally.

      Now, if we’re talking about celebs whose bodies are constantly talked about or criticized without them making a career of it? I’m completely with you.

      • Runs with Scissors says:

        But I think you’re assuming I think it’s ok to break a woman down to her body parts as long as it’s positive, and I don’t. Positive OR negative (yes, even if “asked for”) is dehumanizing, it’s bad for women and girls and it’s bad for society as a whole.

        Just like a man sleeping with a 14 year old girl is rape, whether she’s asking for it or not is irrelevant. It’s the act that’s wrong.

        And SHE might not be changed by what we say about her, but WE are changed – all of us, and that’s why it matters to me.

      • littlemissnaughty says:

        No, I got that. I understand that you want us to stop talking about women’s bodies (men’s as well?) in general and I agree. It would be a much better world if we could do that. I don’t ever comment on celebrities bodies specifically (except to compliment someone in general, saying they look great or something), not on blogs and very rarely in private with my bff or sister. I think it’s unnecessary and unhealthy.
        What I’m saying is, I also can’t feel bad for KK in particular because SHE built her whole career on this. I don’t comment on it because it’s not interesting to me and because I would love it if we could all stop. But at the same time, she cannot possibly act like everybody is so mean to her now. Of course people will discuss how she looks because that is ALL there is when it comes to her.
        I guess what I’m saying is, we can discuss the general implications of what it means that women’s bodies seem to be up for discussion and what it means for our society. But it is not the same as statutory rape because again, the analogy doesn’t work. A 14-year-old may not say no outright but we assume it’s rape because they cannot make that decision in the first place. And that is why the act itself is wrong. KK is a grown woman and as responsible for this as the media.

      • littlemissnaughty says:

        I simply hate it when people bring up rape in reference to anything but actual rape. That bugs me and I have to admit, I get a little angry. The “asking for it” part is of course going to invoke the rape analogy because of the wording, I get that. But still, I think bringing it up to make a point about anything that doesn’t involve rape is just not a good idea.
        It’s mainly not a good idea because I honestly think it never ever works as an analogy. If an actress puts on a revealing dress, that doesn’t make it okay to talk about her breasts. See Christina Hendricks (bad example because ANY dress on her will be seen as revealing unless it’s a turtleneck, I know). She didn’t invite talk about them because of the way she dresses. So no, I don’t think any of that makes it okay to discuss body parts. At the same time, objectifying is not the same as victimizing. Objectifying a woman does not put her in the same position as the victim of a crime. It’s bad and it’s wrong but it is not the same. Regardless of what it means for us as a society. The fact that KK is famous to begin with is, to me, more offensive that what’s happening right now. And THAT is not her “fault”, it was her intention. She got there because of a sex tape and because she’s selling her life and her looks. Her butt, so be specific. THAT is the real problem. And because she is as much to blame for that as we are, I don’t feel sorry for her and I don’t think she has any right to complain now. A victim of sexual abuse (or any abuse for that matter) doesn’t dress a certain way so someone will assault them. KK most certainly did everything in her power to make us talk about her, her life, and yes, about her body. Big big difference. You can’t just focus on our side here because this doesn’t fall under the category of victim-blaming. She’s not a victim by any definition of the word.

    • Dreamory says:

      The thing is, as a woman, I know that in order for that to happen, and for women to stop being judged on their looks, they need to stop using them to get attention and whatever else. Time for women to take responsibility for the choices we have made in that department. We are the biggest ones who betray ourselves, and until we stop doing that and riding off our looks because we don’t believe who we are is good enough, it will not stop.

      • Runs with Scissors says:

        I completely agree! And it’s complicated, we might all want to stop bothering with our looks, but it’s easier said than done since historically, so much of our power or lack of power depends on it.

        I think the key is that we start to look at and talk about WHY we are bothering so much with appearance.

        It almost always comes down to men. Trying to compete for the approval of men, trying to compete for the attention of men, trying to compete for the respect of men… and it’s not because we are idiots who have no desire for independence, it’s because we all live in a patriarchy and know that the way to get any power and agency in this life is almost always through the approval men.

        I think if women realized that we are HALF the population, and we just stick together and make opportunities for each other, instead of trying to compete for the few places men “allow” us in the world, we’d finally make some serious progress.

        We need to start complimenting the girls and women in our lives about what they are DOING and THINKING instead of what they are wearing.

    • maria says:

      since I discovered this page I have said time and again that you can flame KKK(all of them) for their horrendous vocabulary! Make fun of the clothes since they dress worse than a 10 year old with a credit card but never attack a pregnant women especially for weight gain, this can cause harm to the unborn child if Mom is stressed. I have been chubby in my life when I was sick now I am a size 6 at 134 pounds but clearly remember how badly if felt to be fat. I choose to never bash a woman for her body especially when you can stay busy with how insipid they are!

  50. Suze says:

    No. This is the deal she made with devil.

  51. I.want.shoes says:

    I don’t get this whole idea that body shaming a pregnant woman is not ok when she is non-famous or portrays herself as a cute, funny, dim wit (Jessica Simpson) but it’s ok when it’s some famewhore. It shouldn’t matter who the target is. The behavior is still wrong.

  52. juju says:

    its not that she’s fat, its the ugly clothes she wears !!! clothes not intended for a pregnant woman !! all women get fat when pregnant, but they dont try to dress like there not, they wear clothes made for a pregnant women period.

    • Carolyn says:

      She IS a fat, skanky pig. She was overweight before getting pregnant, and is obese now.

  53. ilovejapanesefood says:

    Too bad, all that money, yet it seems that nobody really loves her. Ay ay ay kimmy kimmy..

  54. Joanna says:

    I think it’s offensive when people call pregnant women fat whether it’s KK or anybody else. They are creating a life and quite frankly, it’s nobody’s business if they gain 15 pounds or 50 pounds. Except for their doctor, of course. But everybody else needs to STFU. Pregnant women have more important things to worry about than whether they are going to fit into their skinny jeans afterwards. And honestly, it’s a sad commentary on how shallow society has become, when people feel they have the right to judge a pregnant woman on her weight.

  55. scarlett says:

    I don’t understand the media’s fascination with this woman and her family. They are all over the tabloids, news, gossip sites….and not a single one of them have any discerning talent. I’ve heard that she is so “irrelevant” but someone..a lot of people have to be watching her show and following her every move because money is driving this and obviously people are buying the tabloids with Kim on the cover and watching her reality shows which obviously gains a lot of ad revenue.

    • TheOneAndOnly says:

      That is the 64,000 dollar question; I can only conjecture that behind all the prententiousness and pseudo-liberal posing, much of the general media is as low brow and moronic as this idiot; After all if the media has a chance to interview Stephen Hawking or this idiot, i’ll bet many would choose a lardassian – they are on the media’s level, and few in the media have the honesty to admit this.

  56. Palermo says:

    If it were any other pregnant woman in the world I would agree, but not for Kim. SHE wants all the press, she would DIE without being papped 24/7. She is the one always going on about her weight and purposely dressing like a fool. No sympathy from me. Her bump goes up and down and up and down, I still don’t believe she is pregnant.

  57. TOPgirl says:

    Ya know what..no matter how sick I am of seeing her on t.v. and online, we shouldn’t be judging and scrutinizing her body. Let’s just judge her idiocy!

  58. janie says:

    She brings everything on herself.. Who cares? I’m sick of this skank & her family.

  59. Thiajoka says:

    For someone who lies and manipulates the media and is famous for what she wears and who she screws and who hasn’t, so far as I know, actively supported women’s rights publicly? No, I feel no outrage on her behalf.

    So I guess she and Taylor Swift can condemn me to hell all they like for not being supportive of them, despite the fact that the only things they and I have in common are feminine sex organs.

  60. Just Me says:

    No time to read through all of these comments, BUT! YES, I feel feminist outrage over the way KK is being treated in the media. YES! She annoys the ever loving Sh!t out of me! No, I don’t watch her show, or buy into her brand, or find her in any way inspiration. However, the whole “fat” thing is not exclusive to Kim. It doesn’t matter if she was Jane Doe Hour Glass off the street, she’d be called fat if she’d gained in a similar fashion, as well. This is a symptom of a much larger problem in our culture and Kim just happens to be the latest famous face of this practice. . Hate Kim Kardashian for what she stands for–the dumbing down & objectification of women. Don’t hate her b/c she gained weight in pregnancy. It’s absurd.

  61. HH says:

    Wow. Am I to assume Gloria neither has an actual idea of who the Kardashians are? Nor heard them speak? Because, that’s what I’m assuming— no, no, hoping.

  62. TheOneAndOnly says:

    Comments are all spot on; what I don’t get is how Gloria Steinem could not condemn the lardassians for their shallow materialistic vapid famewhoring – the antithesis of the best of the 60s ethos. HH i’m going to assume that you’re right: Ms. Steinem has no idea of all the money grubbing shenanigans these famehos have pulled (remember the credit card scam marketed to college students).
    And Faye where is the feminist outrage over what the Taliban are doing to women in Afghanistan.
    Our role in Afghanistan can be debated separately from the taliban barbarism.

    • Bijlee says:

      Lol no it can’t. The taliban didn’t come out of nowhere. Western involvement created that monster.

      • TheOneAndOnly says:

        Pakistan created the Taliban as a buffer in the conflict with India;
        More importantly, how does the origin of the Taliban justify, condone, excuse their treatment of women.
        And what possible motive would the West have for creating 9th century barbarians; You’re not a conspiracy believer are you.
        Remember Aldous Huxley: An unexciting truth is often eclipsed by a thrilling lie.

      • dagdag says:

        @TheOneAndOnly:

        No conspirancy here, but a fact. Goes all the way back to 1979 and then they were called mujahidee; they were the good ones then, fighting the Soviets.

      • Bijlee says:

        @theoneandonly dude you’re the one that put it as some seemingly random afterthought on your comment. Why would you do that if you didn’t kind of believe that some connection existed?

        I’m not a conspiracy believer, simply a fan of history. Western and japanese imperilaism has left quite a lot of scars on this planet. The effects of which we still feel. Whether economically, socially, or politically. Lol korea and japan are fighting over a collection of rocks in the sea between them! Read conversations about them and see whether or not Japanese imperialism has anything to do with that. Also Read rock the casbah and you’ll get a broader understanding of the problem at hand because that’s where my mind was with regards to what you wrote.

        I’m also just kind of tired of people jumping there. Just because steniem talks about how you really shouldn’t talk about pregnant bodies period, doesn’t mean she doesn’t care for the plight of women all over the world. Fact of the matter is we bring up the plight of women in THIRD world countries to feel better about ourselves and the fact that we enjoy reading gossip etc and snarking on people’s bodies. it also “diminishes” steinems point which is why we do it.

  63. Izzy says:

    Her body may not be public property, but we still have a 1st Amendment right to comment as much as we like.

    Having said that, I have less of a problem with her weight gain, and WAY more of a problem with her fashion sense. Just… awful.

    As for Jessica Simpson, she DID NOT own up to her lousy eating habits at first. She kept talking about how she was so big because of amniotic fluid. So, unless the “amniotic fluid” consisted of Cheetos, fried everything, and ring dings, she was full of it (and many other foods apparently).

    But at least she had a better sense of maternity style.

  64. Ginger says:

    I think Kim looks fine personally but she consistently dresses horribly for her changing figure. As we’ve said on this site many times…just relax Kim! Buy maternity clothing…there’s so many beautiful choices these days.

  65. Chris says:

    Well said, CB. Her entire existence is derived from her looks, so how can it be above criticism? Sorry – no sympathy here. Especially since this is all likely just a ploy to sell more magazines and make them more money. Yes, they really have made me this cynical.

    Besides, have you seen those ads for the spray-on tan they’re plugging? the whole message seems to be that “having a tan makes you slim and attractive”. You can’t push that kind of message and then go crying for sympathy if someone calls you fat.

  66. Kim says:

    I think Kim blew her chance of promoting feminism when she: sold her sex tape, married for money, got preggers to trap a husband, etc. She sets womens rights back about 10000 years!

  67. buckley says:

    I’d like to know what she does in the gym, because she does not look like somebody who has ever exercised.

  68. sashavice says:

    Maybe not feminist outrage, but basic human decency.

  69. mae says:

    She is a fat Pig! I hope she gets stretch marks. She used to be such a pretty girl, now she has a chicken face. Go away!

  70. ana says:

    i’ve never liked the kardashian kids or mother because i don’t feel they’ve had to work to get what they have. but to fat-shame is embarrassing for us as a culture, as so-called feminists, too. to ridicule kim’s character is one thing, but to put her down because of her body’s expansion is another.

  71. Dee Cee says:

    Remember the dead kitten..

  72. cateD says:

    I’m not good at understanding the unwritten social rules (either of fora such as this or of society in general). It seems that there’s some abstract arbiter who determines the point on the axis upon which “talent” and “attention-seeking” meet and thereafter a person becomes “fair game”. Ann(E) Hathaway, good actress, tried too hard to win an Oscar and misconstrued the talent/attention-seeking intersect and was slammed. Kim Kardashian was probably near zero on the talent intersect, so leaping over the line on the “attention-seeking” axis has forever doomed her to mockery. Is it limited to women, this game? Also, if the object of the game goes away for a period of time, are they forgiven if they later come back more talented or less seeking of attention? These rules are so complicated!

  73. ThrowingShade says:

    Putting your body on public display doesn’t make it public property – property implies ownership. The public does not own her body.

    And no, I’m not surprised that the writers of this site don’t have a problem with the way the media has been treating Kim Kardashian, primarily because this site is guilty of that behavior and it draws clicks.

  74. Jarredsgirl says:

    It’s a bit hypocritical CB. You’re the media and although you protest and claim that you don’t agree with fat bashing, all your stories are about how she looks fat in her outfit and can’t dress.

  75. Bijlee says:

    I think people are twisting steniems words. Shes just using kardashian as a throw away example to solidify her point that it is NEVER okay to body shame. The truth of the matter is most feminist websites will not slam Kim kardashian for her body. They will for her actions, but not her body. I’ve even heard some people call her a sex positive role model. Excuse me while I gag, THAT was a stupid comment if there was ever one.

    Steniem has commented on kardashian in the past. She doesn’t see the kardashians as role models, she doesn’t applaud them for their behaviour or careers, she knows they take advantage of the system to make their money. But she is always diplomatic and pretty solid in what she finds acceptable and what she doesn’t. I think she’s still pretty strictly against porn because “sex isn’t work” but she would never shame someone who does it. Plus she won’t comment on a woman’s body. To her any small comment is damaging. Whether its Mary Lou in the grocery store or a vapid bimbo kardashian. She’s right IMO.

    If we don’t comment on Kim’s looks regardless of whether we have positive comments or negative, then creatures like her (ie famehwores) will disappear.

  76. Barbara says:

    Hell NO, she puts her little self in our faces every day…very annoying too.

  77. Shahayla says:

    I love you, Kim

  78. kit says:

    She deserves all negative press.

  79. Carolyn says:

    The Kartrashians live by the vow of “any PR is good PR”.

    Joining the chorus of those thinking Kim doesn’t deserve any sympathy.

  80. blaize says:

    I know my opinion is not the majority opinion, which seems to be “Kim Kardashian is an overexposed former sex-tape star! She deserves this!” But I agree with Steinem in this case.

    I see that most people don’t like Kim K or her family. I’ve only had limited exposure to the Kardashians, so my dislike of them isn’t nearly as strong as other commentors. I haven’t watched their shows since 2011. I’ve only seen a few episodes of these shows. Even though the three oldest sisters came off as annoying to me, and I think this family gets so much media attention with no discernable talent to back it up, I don’t feel any kind of strong dislike of them or reason to condone all the body-shaming.

    In the junior high school and high school that I went to, a lot of girls had body image issues. There were eating disorders too, as well as weight-based bullying. Preteens definitely pay attention to how the so-called ‘adults’ of the culture respond to women with different body types, and they often act on it- whether it’s through ridiculing other kids for their weight, through hailing the super-skinny girl in the grade who barely eats at lunch and whose ribs are clearly visible as their ideal, through policing what their fellow female classmates eat, (and mocking them for eating ‘too much’) through sharing unhealthy ‘dieting’ practices that include temporary starving periods, through calling themselves fat when they’re not even overweight,through seeing any visible body fat- even if it’s just a little- as a ‘problem’ that needs to be criticized, hidden, and done away with, and, in some cases, through making themselves throw up.

    It’s not just Kim Kardashashian- it’s also Jessica Simpson, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, sometimes even Demi Lovato. Society seems to be opposed to any short or average-heighted woman who is not in the size 0-4 range. Tabloids, websites, online commentors, and sometimes even celebrities just can’t seem to resist the urge to fat-shame women who aren’t lean and toned. It all stems from a combination of public entitlement (“Well, we do have freedom of speech, and she is a public figure. So I’ll say whatever I want. Who cares about the unhealthy or misogynistic implications of my words or the possible aftermath?”) and immaturity.

  81. blick says:

    Everyone just really dislikes her and her hideous family. And they should. The whole story from the OJ bloodmoney to the marketing of a hideous sex tape to the plastic make me perfect for the cameras to the fake weddding ,the lack of talent,integrity, the ugly person that is her homely mother, the in your face smelly lies. , the fakeassed ways….Vile and a vile face. Stinks from corruption. CORRUPTION . KORRUPTION. THESE ARE MORALLY CORRUPT SKUNKS.

    • honey bucket says:

      So true and now more truth is coming out with the dad’s diaries being published.
      The show a very ugly look at the K family
      and how they really are.
      Disgusting!

  82. vikram says:

    with this kardashian anything is possible … that’s one ugly looking bi**h

  83. Nic says:

    Ethics aren’t something people earn, like interest – ethics don’t change based on who they’re being applied to, or whether someone “deserves” them.

    Make fun of Kim all you want (I do), but OWN it – don’t say “she asked for it” like you’re some boss from the fifties explaining why you grabbed your secretary’s boob. That’s just sad and delusional.

    • CC says:

      Actually they do, not in the “she deserved this” but under “she’s worthless and always has been, and she has always been reprehensible”. Trash by any other name, can be called a Kardashian. She doesn’t deserve any concern form any ethics committee, she has no ethics herself, it’s all about money, money and more money.

      She deserves zero sympathy.

  84. dagdag says:

    Bread and games, panem et circenses, and respect don´t go hand in hand.

  85. Jennifer12 says:

    The Kardashians suck; that’s a given. However, the media is disgusting the way they go after any female’s weight and insult her. No one should be fat-shamed. And especially not a pregnant woman.

    • CC says:

      She was extremely fat before she was pregnant now she’s fat and pregnant, not really that much difference.

  86. Gossip Garl says:

    How dare we ask the Question…This whole family likes to be in the spotlight..its just what they want so they stay relevant..only poor fat Robb has to still suck on mommies tittas so he can also start making money..Instead of living like a leech..

  87. Gossip Garl says:

    They just wouldnt want it any other way….(yeah ima Biatch,lover, child & a mother)

  88. Laurie says:

    Kim (and her sisters) have literally made a career out of selling every salacious and private detail of their lives to the public. We’ve seen them have sex, get married, give birth and more – all in front of the cameras for profit. So now we’re supposed to feel outraged that the media is criticizing the pregnancy weight gain of a woman who deliberately parades around in front of the cameras on a daily wearing tight clothes that accentuates her weight gain? Ummm…. Yeah, not so much.

  89. honey bucket says:

    Kim has brought this entirely on herself.
    Starting with her porn film and then continually posting photos of herself on Twitter in near naked positions. Then she calls the paparazzi to alert them to her daily calendar and makes money off this. She is a famewhore and she lives to see her photos and name in all the publications.I wonder what her kid will say when they are older and view her porn film??

  90. Nonan says:

    How did these fat prostitutes get into the public eye? They aren’t even attractive.

    Almost every single magazine cover has their pictures on them now. Do the Kardashians pay people to get on the covers? Do they pay for their own publicity? They must.

    • gefeylich says:

      Of course they pay to get on those covers, and they must pay handsomely. Their ubiquity is disgusting, actually.

      • Nonan says:

        I used to enjoy buying and reading celebrity magazines, but not anymore. The Kardashians are on the cover of every single weekly magazine, except for People magazine. Its scary how much attention they are purchasing for themselves. They must be paying millions. I don’t think the public is as fascinated with them, as they are with themselves.
        I won’t buy any magazine with Kardashians on the cover. I’m saving a lot of money these days!

  91. Lexi says:

    No womans body is public domain, and no one should call a pregnant woman fat! But with kim k its almost like she has made her body public domain for publicity/money/fame/ratings etc….. I’d feel feminist outrage if she hadnt sold her body and everything else for fame/monet years ago

    • Vera says:

      With just about anyone else, it would be wrong. For KK, it’s just another way to score more magazine covers.I wouldn’t be surprised if her team were planting the “fat” stories themselves. More money, more money. more money.

  92. gefeylich says:

    Please. It’s ludicrous to even ask this question. This woman has prostituted herself to the media – cravenly, deliberately and bald-facedly – for years. She deserves no sympathy from anyone. She is, in a word, awful.

    The person I feel sorry for is her child. Imagine what its life will be like with Kardashian as its mother, and the equally appalling Kris Jenner as its grandmother. That kid will be out on the stroll by its first birthday.

  93. Vera says:

    Playing the victim card is just another way for KK to get into the news, and again, she succeeds.

  94. Alicia says:

    There is no way that any person who is an active member of this website can call themselves a feminist, it’s actually quite laughable. The lack of empathy, compassion and unjudgemental support for fellow females displayed on this website perfectly fits its name. It’s fine to be a bitch, it’s socially acceptable to tear apart every aspect of a fellow female because their famous, but don’t pretend you’re a feminist because you’re not, this is a celebrity gossip site, if people didn’t feel the need to make websites solely about people that aren’t substantially contributing to human advancement then there would be no kim kardashian. You reap what you sow.

    • CC says:

      She’s not my “fellow female”. She’s trash, I’m not. To even consider myself in the same lines as this waste of space is an insult. What’s next? A street walker, who caters to men’s baser urges and making a lot of money in exchange of loss of self-respect by having sex with creeps no normal woman would want to touch, my equal? What an insult.

  95. Alicia says:

    There is no way that any person who is an active member of this website can call themselves a feminist, it’s actually quite laughable. The lack of empathy, compassion and unjudgemental support for fellow females displayed on this website perfectly fits its name. It’s fine to be a b&$@$, it’s socially acceptable to tear apart every aspect of a fellow female because their famous, but don’t pretend you’re a feminist because you’re not, this is a celebrity gossip site, if people didn’t feel the need to make websites solely about people that aren’t substantially contributing to human advancement then there would be no kim kardashian. You reap what you sow.

    • dagdag says:

      How about “celebitchy feminism” within all the feminist ideologies and movements?

    • trillian says:

      “Feminism is a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women.”

      Feminism doesn’t mean I have to like or even support other individuals just because they’re female.

      • Nonan says:

        I agree. And its bothered me that some feminists think if you are a woman, that you always have to support other women. I can’t support other women if I don’t agree with what they do; that would be dishonest to myself and others.

  96. Missfit says:

    What I don’t get is all these celebrities having babies, cause it’s the “coolest trend” to them. It’s so “in” cause all of Hollywood is doing it. And most likely most of them don’t take care of their kid and just make nannies do it. Kids are not the latest gadget or toy. They are not pets. They are not the latest designer bag or shoes…cellphones. It’s funny how those famous bitches want to come to her defense of being objectified. When that is exactly what she wants. She only pretends to hate it…as you said…for attention.

  97. sunnyinseattle says:

    I would never say anything bad about a pregnant woman and her weight, nor what she eats. It is just the one place I don’t judge. However, lol, Kim can complain all shr wants, she loves the attention so she can have it. No one would dress the way she dresses if they didn’t want attention and to be talked about! 😉

  98. hownowbrowncow says:

    The issue is not whether we view women’s bodies as “ornamental”. It’s whether a woman’s body is healthful. By purposely stuffing into her face every bit of crap she can, Kim is not only distorting her body, but completely derailing her health and the health of her baby. She didn’t just gain an extra 20 pounds. She has gained an extra 40 pounds. I don’t think judgment levied against those who are severely overweight is unhelpful or unkind. In many cases that’s the only thing that will ever put someone like that back on the right track. If you are so heavy you are no longer operating like a normal human (overly-labored breathing, unable to walk comfortably, etc.) something is very, very wrong.

  99. honey bucket says:

    Anyone who shows their privates in a porn film, makes money off of it, well there is a name for it. Kim has lost the right to ask for privacy when she calls the paparazzi to alert them to her every where abouts. She also puts photos on Twitter showing her body. In other words, she is common. She was married to the first husband when she made the porn with another man,, she was married to her second husband when she got pregnant by another man. Obviously she has learned something about low level living from her mom. Plus her sister has two kids out of wedlock. Nuff said.

  100. Orwell warns we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. ***But in Huxley’s vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history.

    As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.

    Huxley v. Orwell: comic strip
    http://www.stuartmcmillen.com/blog/cartoon-blog/amusing-ourselves-to-death/♥

    Huxley v. Orwell: comic strip put to cool music ala video
    http://youtu.be/I3fAHE6IQxY

  101. Vic says:

    Wow,aren’t we all bitches?I’m disappointed that so many women believe Kim K deserves to be judged and ridiculed.Whereas I agree that she often puts herself in a position of ridicule this instance isn’t one of them.She’s pregnant,she has put on weight,that’s it,no story.
    But because she’s a woman we have the right to judge her?And because she’s Kim Kardashian she deserves it?That is so much bullshit.
    We don’t know that she’s signed a weight loss deal,like most of the stories about her,that’s just media speculation.
    I’m no fan,I hate reality TV,but I agree with Steinham,I don’t care who it is women should not be subject to barbs about their appearance,and you lot should be ashamed of yourselves!