When you think of the ideal body type for curvy girls, you might think of the Kardashian family, or more specifically, Kim Kardashian. In 2007, Kim was steadily rising to fame when “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” came out. Since then, there has been a focus on each of the family members’ weight, and what is prescribed as looking physically desirable.
Kim Kardashian, along with other members in her family, have been under public scrutiny for years over their weight and body image. We have grown accustomed to the Kardashian-Jenner’s hourglass figures, porcelain smooth skin, and ever-changing hairstyles over the years, but now something else is becoming more notable in their appearance.
I’m sure most of us remember the famous Marilyn Monroe dress, worn by Kim Kardashian at this years Met Gala, causing frustration and confusion online. There are two reasons for this, the first being, if she should have worn the dress at all, and the second – which is what I will be delving into – is how she lost so much weight, so fast, to fit into it.
Whenever famous celebrities or influencers drastically change their appearance we notice. Just like with Billie Eilish’s hair changing from black and green to blonde seemingly overnight. There is a lot more going on behind the scenes than we know. The reason why Kim’s weight loss is more striking is because for so long, her message was around supporting curvy girls. With her new skinniness, one has to wonder what the repercussions will be for such an impressionable society.
Famous people, like Kim, who shape and create the mold for society as to who looks good physically and who doesn’t. Regardless of whether they were accurately displaying curvy girls in the past or not, the message is clear that now there is even less representation of curvy girls in mainstream media.
As people discuss the Kardashians’ weight loss affairs online, it is overwhelming to read the amount of people who are following in their footsteps and removing fat in unhealthy ways. Discussions have been sparked online about how people can do this themselves without considering what is the underlying reason as to why they want it in the first place.
Subconsciously or not, I believe that pop culture still supports the idea that in order to be considered attractive with a desirable figure, a person must be unnaturally skinny.
Among many serious problems here is the fact that we are still focused on the externalities of our persons. It is no wonder why so much attention is given to physical bodies when our society has been built to support and enforce these messages time and time again. Why criticize the Kardashian family’s careers that are focused around a perceived image of the self when society is programming us to believe that this is what we want to see. Don’t get me started on the profits made from marketing like this.
While TV series “The Kardashians” may be fun to consume, the message that we should strive for a similar shallow existence is unnatural and unhealthy. We need to shift the focus towards what truly matters in a person and work on redefining how we represent that. A skinny person doesn’t always equal a healthy person, but society still tells us it is the ultimate indicator of success to be considered attractive.
So how should celebrities like the Kardashians move forward with remarks and public scrutiny over their bodies? Ultimately, the most important part of making progress is recognizing the past, acknowledging it and then changing for the better. To do this, the rough answer I came up with was that celebrities can be honest about the work they’ve had done, but should keep it general so as not to give a guide for people on how to lose weight unhealthily. We know it is not sustainable for normal people to look the way celebrities do, and them pretending it is only enforces the same unhealthy ideals as in the past.
Hopefully this will refocus celebrities’ public images on things like their jobs or businesses rather than glorifying them solely for the way they look. We need a shift in the narrative to force audiences to see people inwards instead of outwards all the time, so people realize there is more to someone than something as trivial as being skinny.