By Callie Yardley
Kim Kardashian posted a censored nude picture on Twitter, sparking a conversation about feminism and women’s right to show off their bodies without being shamed.
When you’re like I have nothing to wear LOL pic.twitter.com/UlSLZb1fp1
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 7, 2016
According to Kardashian’s website, which opens with a black-and-white nude photo of the celebrity, she felt empowered by posting the picture and does not understand why people are bothered by others’ choices.
Gabrielle “Gaby” Wohead, president of the Texas Tech University Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, said Kardashian did not do anything wrong by posting the picture.
“I personally think that women can be empowered by either covering up or being completely nude,” Wohead said. “I think the empowerment part comes from their choice of what they want to do.”
Wohead said people are quick to judge women for posting their own nude pictures. However, she said, when men share a woman’s nude picture, that is perceived as acceptable.
“I think that just kind of shows the negativity we have towards women expressing their own sexuality,” Wohead said.
Feminist Kaci Greer, a Lubbock resident, said that even though she would not personally share a photo like the one Kardashian posted, people should have a choice when it comes to what to share.
“I think that there are certain things that should be kept private, but at the end of the day, it’s not your body or your life,” Greer said.
Shyanne Stambaugh, a former entertainer, said she disagrees with Kardashian’s decision to post the picture. She said she thinks Kardashian posted the picture to receive validation from her followers.
“If she was truly liberated by her body, she wouldn’t need any sort of feedback from anyone but herself,” Stambaugh said.
Stambaugh added that media gave Kardashian what she wanted by acknowledging the photo.
Kardashian posts many pictures a day. Image from Kardashian’s Twitter.
“She wanted attention, and attention is what she got,” Stambaugh said. “Good or bad, she was still being talked about.”
After Kardashian tweeted the nude picture, several celebrities shamed her for it. However, according to Kardashian’s Twitter feed, she responded without feeling shame.
Stambaugh said the people who are shaming Kardashian for posting the picture are most likely the same people who watch her show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” every week.
“I think they are no more of a role model than they are saying she is,” Stambaugh said.
Shaming others is wrong under any circumstances, Greer said, regardless of their social status or notoriety.
“It’s easy to shame people, but in reality, we are human and people make mistakes,” Greer said.
In the future, Wohead said, people should handle such situations by speaking out and explaining why it is wrong to shame women for posting nude pictures.
“I think women should realize that just because they don’t want to act in a certain way, doesn’t mean that other women cannot act in that way,” Wohead said. “We should empower each other instead of bringing each other down.”
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