For as long as they have been in the spotlight, the KarJenner family have been at the center of discourse about celebrities promoting unrealistic beauty standards.
The five sisters and their mom, Kris Jenner, are all equally guilty of posting envy-inducing photos to their carefully curated social media pages that show them as ageless, flawless goddesses.
Oftentimes, the family’s posts have been exposed for being heavily photoshopped, with eagle-eyed followers picking up on the telltale clues that the picture has been edited.
This, combined with the KarJenners’ staggering wealth that gives them access to home gyms, personal trainers, personal chefs, and high-end cosmetic procedures, has sparked serious scrutiny — with the group accused of fueling body image insecurities among the everyday people who follow them and who would never be able to reach their level of perfection.
In fact, even Khloé Kardashian has experienced the struggle of keeping up with the Kardashians firsthand as she admitted to “not ever feeling perfect enough” after an unposed and unedited bikini picture was accidentally shared online.
Khloé famously threatened legal action in her bid to get the leaked photo scrubbed from the internet, a move that confused many people as she looked absolutely incredible in the snap — albeit, slightly more human than her usual heavily filtered and manipulated posts.
The star acknowledged the criticism of her reaction in an Instagram statement, where she said that “we cannot continue to live life trying to fit into the perfect mold of what others have set for us.”
Khloé also confessed to using filters, lighting, and editing in “the same way I throw on some make-up, get my nails done, or wear a pair of heels to present myself to the world the way I want to be seen,” adding that “it’s exactly what [she] will continue to do unapologetically.”
The statement sparked backlash at the time, with many pointing out that while they have sympathy for Khloé, she was completely ignoring her family’s own contribution to the beauty standards that people face.
One person tweeted: “I am empathetic to the pain and insecurities Khloé Kardashian admits she faces, but I think what is important to note is that the Kardashian family has contributed if not created the beauty standard over the last 2 decades through photoshop, surgery, and exuberant wealth…”
However, the KarJenners have consistently denied their influence in promoting an image that is completely unattainable, with Kendall Jenner telling Andy Cohen last year that the only thing they promote is “being healthy.”
“We all really enjoy taking care of ourselves and being healthy,” she said at the time. “So I think if anything, the only thing we’re really trying to represent is just being the most healthy version of yourself.”
Kim Kardashian added in the same interview: “We get up, we do the work. We work out.”
And Kim doubled down on her stance in a recent interview with Allure magazine, where she was asked if she feels “responsible, even guilty, for setting an unrealistic, unattainable beauty standard.”
“If I’m doing it, it’s attainable,” Kim insisted in response.
“There are so many different beauty standards — whether it’s Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Marilyn Monroe. When I was a teenager, [the look] was just blonde waifs,” she added. “My mentality was never like, you see them on TV or in magazines and pick who you want to be. It was always: Be yourself, find beauty in everything.”
In the same interview, Kim maintained that the only cosmetic procedure that she’d had done to her face was Botox. She denied “ever” having any lip or cheek filler, or even eyelash extensions.
“I’ve never had eyelash extensions. I’ve never done anything. I have a drop of mascara on today. I’ve never filled my cheeks. I’ve never filled my lips,” she stated.
“I really, genuinely care about looking good,” Kim then said. “I probably care more than 90% of the people on this planet. It’s not easy when you’re a mom and you’re exhausted at the end of the day or you’re in school, and I’m all of the above. I do my beauty treatments usually late at night. After everyone’s in bed, I’m doing laser treatments.”
The interview has since sparked backlash, with people calling out Kim’s “out of touch” and “delusional” claim that her beauty standards are attainable.
The billionaire has also been accused of forgetting her “wealth privilege,” with specific attention drawn to her comment about late-night laser treatments.
“Attainable my arse. Only for those in her air bubble. And rich celebrity types similarly wrapped up in their own worlds,” one person tweeted. “Laser treatments when her kids are in bed? Lol I barely have time for a shower a day as a mother & carer.”
Responding to Kim’s “attainable” comment, another person wrote: “Yeah no it’s not @KimKardashian you have wealth privilege. Many people, including myself, don’t. Tone deaf and out of touch.”
“She keeps proving more and more how out of touch she is with every day women who really CAN’T attain the unrealistic beauty standards she flaunts,” another person added.
One more tweeted: “Every time she tries to make herself seem relatable she just shows how completely delusional and out of touch she is. Fuck off already.”
“‘If i’m doing it, it’s attainable’ literally makes me seethe,” someone else wrote. “She is Kim Kardashian.”
This is certainly not the first time that Kim has come under scrutiny for promoting unrealistic beauty standards in recent weeks, with viewers left disappointed when her appearance on The Tonight Show last month appeared to be heavily filtered.
Instagram account @problematicfame shared comparison screenshots to highlight the apparent use of a blurring filter that softened Kim’s face during the TV interview. In the first grab there was natural creasing around Kim’s eyes and blemishes on her skin, but in the second her skin looked completely flawless and incredibly smooth.
And this came just days after Kim was criticized for “boasting” about losing an extreme amount of weight in a short period of time.
People said that she was a “horrible role model” and pushing a “dangerous” message to young girls after she revealed that she’d lost even more weight since her controversial Met Gala crash diet, which sparked backlash in May.
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