By now we’ve all seen the nude selfie of Kim Kardashian in her bathroom with black bars covering her naked body. And whether you’d like to admit it or not we’ve all seen her naked before at least once either by “accident” or out of curiosity. That’s fine. The female body should be seen as empowering, sensual and most importantly as a work of art that is capable of doing amazing things.

We come in all different shapes and sizes, and should learn to love and appreciate the amazing bodies we are blessed with. With that being said, Kim Kardashian is no valiant feminist displaying her body in its most organic form to empower women who feel less confident about themselves. If anything, Kim continues to push the idea that the female body is there for one purpose only and that is to be sexually objectified.

This has been going on since the beginning of her career in 2007, when a sex tape conveniently leaked around the same time as her family-oriented reality show aired. I’m not saying that there isn’t a possibility that the tape was leaked by an outside party, I’m just saying there is way more evidence that says she was in on the leak and to this day continues to make a very hefty profit from it.

Our first introduction to Kim Kardashian was one of the most intimate acts a couple can participate in and instead of hang her head in shame, she took the public shaming head on and made the best of an otherwise embarrassing situation that she has said she regretted. Sex is something that shouldn’t be shameful, especially for a female, and this may be the one time where I admired Kim’s bravery.

Only a couple of years earlier, Paris Hilton suffered the same misfortune and handled it much differently.

In 2007 with the success of her reality show, Kim was asked to pose naked for Playboy Magazine. She would later go on to say that “I’m sorry I did Playboy. I was uncomfortable.” In my opinion this was the ending of any female body empowerment credibility Kim could have had. After her Playboy spread, Kim was asked to pose naked multiple times in W Magazine (2010), Paper Magazine (2014), GQ Magazine (2014), Harpers Bazaar (2014), Love Magazine (2015), and the numerous times she’s posted nude pictures on her website, Instagram, and Twitter.

I am by no means shaming Kim for choosing to display her body publicly, and honestly if she weren’t the fame seeking person she is I would actually applaud her for deciding to show her body, flaws and all.

But that just isn’t who Kim is. Every picture is heavily photoshopped to the point of ridiculousness and they are released with a purpose.

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Kim Kardashian wants us all to remember how hot we thought she was when her sex tape “leaked” in 2007. Four months after giving birth to her first child, Kim posted a picture of herself in a white bathing suit that revealed lots of side boob and her bottom. That same year Kim was “caught” by the paparazzi swimming in a pool wearing a see-through top and revealing swimsuit bottoms. When the pictures hit the internet it was obvious that Kim was posing for them.

Then her latest mishap came three months after giving birth to her second child, when Kim shared an old picture with the black bars covering her breasts and vagina with the caption “When you’re like I have nothing to wear LOL.” Kim received lots of heat for her latest selfie, even if it was an old picture. Actress Chloe Moretz shared her opinion on the selfie saying, “ I truly hope you realize how important setting goals are for young women, teaching them we have so much more to offer than just our bodies.”

Kim responded to the unsatisfied public the only way she knew how – by writing an essay about how empowering her selfie is for all of us. In the essay Kim says that she feels empowered by her sexuality and that she is comfortable in her skin, and that by displaying her body she is empowering women everywhere that feel insecure with their bodies.

My only problem with Kim’s essay is how hypocritical it is. You can’t claim to feel comfortable in your skin and get endless cosmetic procedures and Photoshop every picture you put out into the world.

Kim goes on to say that people who aren’t okay with her nude selfie are just slut-shaming her and that she’s allowed to be sexy even though she is a mom, daughter, wife, sister, and business woman. Again, I’m not shaming Kim for her choices – it’s just the fact that she keeps using her body to make money and to garner attention from the public when we stop paying attention to her.

There is nothing empowering about using your body to get attention from someone. What is empowering is taking a naked selfie for yourself, so that you can admire and appreciate all of the beauty that you have.

As women we have to stop allowing people to dictate to us what is attractive. You don’t need make-up, cosmetic surgery, or filters on your phone to love yourself.

Loving the body you have is something that you attain after pushing out all the negative messages that are put in front of you on a daily basis.

You don’t need to look or be like Kim Kardashian to feel empowered and you don’t need to publicly post naked photos of yourself to find validation in your appearance.

We should also empower each other as women. Insulting or shaming someone for posting a picture, the way they dress, or their sexual history just continues to push women into a box that we should have been released from years ago.

Be a sexual being, dress the way you want to, and express yourself the way you feel comfortable. Explore your mind and find a positive way to appreciate your body and build a loving relationship with it.

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