Kim Kardashian causes an outcry within the skin positivity movement

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Wellness
Posted 17 June, 2019

By Sofia Phillips

London, UK

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In the wake of Kim Kardashian’s new range of body makeup, we explore what this means in terms of embracing our imperfections.

According to a recent study conducted by E45, 10 million Brits have suffered from mental health problems as a result of a skin condition. It was revealed in May that 81% of the UK’s population has experienced a skin condition at one point in their lives and what’s more concerning is that over a quarter of this figure said that it made them feel depressed.

When it comes to beauty, it seems as though social media has us on a constant quest for perfection that only very few of us can live up to. 2019 has seen a rise in #skinpositivity, with many celebrities and influencers sharing make-up free selfies to encourage the importance of being comfortable in your own skin.

While it saddens me that I’m still seeing a lot of hate online and criticism towards those who refuse to ‘cover up,’ these movements are definitely making a difference.

I’ve had a fair share of experiences with this myself, being ‘advised’ to wear makeup at previous jobs for example, or to change the way I dress, but it’s never acceptable for other people to decide how we should look and that’s something we should all live by.

If we change the standards of beauty, maybe we can change how we see ourselves, and this the message behind Emily Ford’s YouTube video, Redefine Pretty.

Starting the conversation back in 2015 with You Look Disgusting which exposed the hundreds of negative comments she received upon deciding to go bare faced in front of the camera, Ford strives to show ‘how social media can set unrealistic expectations on both men and women.’

This sparked a revolution which spotlighted the shame that comes with being less-than-perfect as damaging; now more than ever we are being taught to embrace our imperfections and forget what is considered ‘ideally’ beautiful.

So how does Kim Kardashian come into all this?

Having been very open about her struggle with psoriasis in the past, a skin condition that causes red, flaky and scaly patches all over the body, Kardashian took to Instagram this weekend to promote her new KKW Beauty Body Collection consisting of three different products that launch on the 21st.

Kardashian claims to use the ‘skin perfecting body foundation’ more than the liquid shimmer and loose powder in order to enhance her skin tone or cover her psoriasis. While most of the time she is ‘not insecure’ and has asked why she should cover it when everyone knows it’s there, during her process of learning to accept it as part of who she is, ‘there are days when she prefers to wear makeup.’

This raises two questions. Is Kardashian promoting empowerment in an age when women shouldn’t feel like they must be flawless, or is she suggesting that we should hide our imperfections?

The post was met with a mixed bag of responses with the more positive side of the comments section praising her for ‘helping many people deal with the emotional toll of this condition’ and not letting it defeat her, but in general, there was a huge amount of negativity.

‘Why go out of your way to make women feel insecure in their own skin? Everyone knows you suffer with psoriasis and that’s okay. Why do you want to hide something so normal?’, said one user. ‘This is out of control. When are we just going to leave our skin for what is?’, said another.

This debate addresses a seemingly fine line between whether we should welcome or reject what Kardashian is trying to achieve.

You can undoubtedly understand why people might feel angry that she has fallen into this category of body shaming and with a platform so large it is worrying for the future of Gen Z. She does not explicitly tell others what to do, but with a following of 141 million it goes without saying that she holds an enormous amount of power when it comes to developing perspectives.

Personally, I believe that we should do whatever makes us happy, and Kim K is simply giving people with skin conditions options. Some, of course, feel more confident when they are able to cover their ‘flaws’, but at the end of the day it’s all about changing the mindset that surrounds this complex, ongoing issue and embracing the skin that make us unique.

While the ‘comparison culture’ that plagues the internet is indeed incredibly toxic, we can counteract it. Social media can also have an extremely positive influence and act as a safe haven for those who feel alone or marginalized to find a community of others undergoing similar experiences, and to that end we should celebrate the female forms we see pop up in our feed no matter how they choose to wear their clothes, or their skin.

To name just a few, check out @aliciakeys who stopped wearing makeup three years ago, @winnieharlow, @souffrantnyc and @shaundross – the first professional male model with albinism who started the #InMySkinIWin movement – for some true inspiration on how to make the most of being beautifully different.

Sofia Phillips

Feature Media Manager & Senior Writer London, UK

Sofia (She/Her) – I’m the Deputy Editor & Media Partnership Manager at Thred, specialising in exclusive articles and live interviews, fashion and beauty with a focus on sustainability, women’s rights, psychedelics, and Latin America. I studied Spanish at the University of Exeter and International Journalism at City, London. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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