I remember when Kim Kardashian got her first Vogue cover and how upset people were about it. People swore up and down that they were canceling their Vogue subscriptions and tossing away their copies. Has everything changed? I don’t know, but I was excited to read Kim’s March 2022 Vogue cover story. She’s on the cover to promote the family’s new Hulu reality show, but most of the interview is about her life now, why she’s seeking a divorce from Kanye and SKIMS, her business valued at $3 billion. Kim doesn’t dish about everything – if anything, this is the most measured and mature interview I think I’ve ever read from Kim – but she does talk about some of the gossip-worthy stuff. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:

She left Kanye so that she could make herself happy: “For so long, I did what made other people happy. And I think in the last two years I decided, I’m going to make myself happy. And that feels really good. And even if that created changes and caused my divorce, I think it’s important to be honest with yourself about what really makes you happy. I’ve chosen myself. I think it’s okay to choose you. My 40s are about being Team Me. I’m going to eat well. I’m going to work out. I’m going to have more fun, spend more time with my kids and the people who make me happy. I’m going to put my phone down. Unfollow if I don’t want to see something on Instagram.”

Co-parenting with Kanye: “You could be so hurt or angry at your ex, but I think in front of the kids, it always has to be ‘Your dad’s the best.’ Make sure you are your co-parent’s biggest cheerleader, no matter what you’re personally going through.”

Visiting the women’s prison Chowchilla: “Literally every crime the women I spoke to had committed was for their significant other. I heard stories like, ‘My boyfriend told me to pick this up. And I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t question him.’ I was like, Wow, I probably would’ve done the same.”

Her criminal justice work: Whether it’s the money-bail system, mandatory minimum sentencing, or the death penalty, the policies Kim has dedicated herself to changing disproportionately harm Black and brown communities. That part, especially, hits home. “This work has taught me so much. Especially raising Black boys, who are going to be targeted so much more than their white friends.”

When she was young, she saw herself in Salma Hayek & J.Lo: “Okay, there’s other body shapes out there. There are other looks that people find beautiful,” she recalls thinking. “My reference for prom was Salma Hayek. I went to the MAC counter and brought pictures of her. It was like, I finally have someone to look up to.”

What’s next: “I always think, What will be next? Because I always had Kanye, who knew exactly what the next fashion era would be for me. And there’s something scary about being out there on your own, but also something so liberating. Who knows? I might just be in Skims and be so comfy and casual and wear no makeup, and that might be what I feel like representing to the world. Maybe it’s just not that serious.”

[From Vogue]

The part where she talks about Kanye as co-parent… clearly she said that before the past month’s weekly accusations and tantrums from Kanye about her parenting. Vogue even updated their story to include Kim’s statement last weekend. As for the “Team Me” stuff – like, obviously, Kim has always been on Team Me. She’s always been a fundamentally selfish person and there’s nothing wrong with that, honestly. I think she stayed with Kanye a lot longer than she actually wanted to though, because he was so unwell and because she didn’t want to get another f–king divorce. What she’s really saying is that in her 40s, she’s finally feeling free of other people’s judgments and societal pressures to “stay in a bad marriage” or whatever. She has the right to be free of Kanye for whatever reason she wants, including “I will be happier without him.”

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Cover & IG courtesy of Vogue.