Does Kim Kardashian Represent Body Positivity?


Celebrities and fashion designers showed up and showed out at the Council of Fashion Designers in America awards held at the Brooklyn Museum on Monday night. No award show would be complete without a Kardashian in the mix, and the fashion gods summoned the leader of the Klan: Kim herself, who received the first-ever CFDA “Influencer Award” wearing a white Rick Owens dress.

She wasn’t afraid to poke a little fun at herself throughout the evening. In her acceptance speech, Kim joked, “I’m kind of shocked I’m getting a fashion award when I’m naked most of the time.”

All jokes aside, there was a time where the fashion industry did not think there was a place within it’s exclusive space for the likes of Kardashian-West and her famous behind.

“It was maybe seven years ago when I had a publicist, and she asked, what were my goals, what were my dreams? And I said I just wanted to be on the cover of a fashion magazine,” she continued.

Does Kim Kardashian Represent Body Positivity?

But Kim had a message for the naysayers, saying, “And she said, ‘Let’s (make) some realistic goals because that will never happen.’ And so, of course I sent her my Vogue cover when it came out. An autographed copy. So it’s really a trip to me that now I’m here getting an award for fashion when it’s something I always loved. Thank you so much for this, it means a lot.”

Actress Busy Philips, who presented the award to Kim, commended the social media star.

“You have given a rise to a revolution in women’s bodies and shapes, radically redefining the aspirational female form. Your ownership over your own body and how it is seen, your openness with your femininity and your sexuality, is truly empowering and the ultimate feminist statement,” said Philips.

Phillips, and many of Kim’s fans, agree that the foremost Kardashian has been a pioneer in championing body positivity. But the subject of Kim as a positive role model has always been a contentious subject.

Model Adwoa Aboah, who runs in similar circles as Kardashian-West and her sister Kendall Jenner, took to Instagram to voice her opinions on the matter:

“Is this a joke babe… In what world has she inspired women to be themselves?” Aboah wrote in the comment section of a post by fellow model Winnie Harlow. “She is no icon nor an influencer, and I find it completely crazy that anyone would think she was.”

The comment sparked a heated debate about what it means to be a female icon. Some lauded Kim as a hero for women, while others tore her down for being vain and self-serving.

Despite all of the hate that Kim’s received in response to Aboah’s comments, she is laser-focused on her social work and turning the other cheek.

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