Teaching your kids about body positivity is always important. As they grow up, they are bombarded with images about what is "perfect" and how people "should" look. For people that grow up in Hollywood, this is only heightened.
Many celebrities are beginning to speak out about being body positive, and it's sparked a trend. Alicia Keys has vowed to not wear makeup anymore and only go with natural beauty on red carpets. Kelly Clarkson has also spoken out about how being pressured to stay thin was something she struggled with when starting out. The American Idol winner revealed that she contemplated suicide at the height of her fame.
"When I was really skinny, I wanted to kill myself," Clarkson said. "I was miserable, like, inside and out, for four years of my life. But, no one cared, because aesthetically you make sense."
But one family who constantly talks about positivity is the Kardashians. Regardless of how you feel about them, the famous family is constantly talking about positive messages being sent about beauty and beauty standards.
Kim Kardashian-West has been known to post nude and semi-nude shots on her social media accounts, and often gets criticized for her choice. However, the mom of three doesn't understand the issue.
"In all seriousness, I never understand why people get so bothered by what other people choose to do with their lives," she wrote. "I don't do drugs, I hardly drink, I've never committed a crime"”and yet I'm a bad role model for being proud of my body?"
Kim's not wrong. Posting images she feels confident in is absolutely her choice and if you don't like them, stop following her. It's not like she's a children's icon who is being looked up to. People frequenting her Instagram page should be aware of the content that will be posted, it's not new.
However, Kim's most recent Instagram post raised some eyebrows when they realized who was in it.
Kardashian-West posted a topless photo of herself on her Instagram page, but a mysterious reflection in the background is really what got people talking. In the image, the businesswoman is wearing black spandex leggings, an unclasped bra, and is covering her chest with her bare hands. You can see in the reflection of the mirror that someone else has taken the picture. That someone else? Her four-year-old daughter, North.
Kim even credits her daughter for taking the picture, and it's sparked a lot of conversation about what is body positive, and what is just too far.
"I wonder how many people would get social services called on them if this was anyone else but Kim K?? This is subpar parenting," user Campzan wrote.
Carolinepool98 shared: "How is this bad? My mom used to change in front of me all the time. It's normal with moms and daughters, at least where I'm from. Maybe North was just playing with the camera when Kim was changing. It's normal, y'all. Stop reaching."
Another commented that just because it's body-positivty doesn't mean it's not also strange.
"I'm glad shes teaching North body positiviity, but I wish she wasn't teaching North that your body is the only way to get attention."
The debate is one that could go on forever. People have become hyper-sensitive when it comes to what is and is not appropriate for children. On one hand, by showing your kids what a "real" body looks like, they may be less likely to seek out images and content from other places, images which could negatively affect their body image.
On the other hand, you want to teach your kids that certain parts of the body are private and are not to be broadcast to the whole world.
By asking North to take a sexually-charged photo of her mother, Kim Kardashian-West has opened up the debate on what constitutes "appropriate nudity" between a mother and her children.
