There is no escape from Kim Kardashian’s arse. It’s gone beyond global. Unless you’ve been under a rock, you will be aware of her shoot for Paper Magazine. To call it a phenomenon is an understatement. Within seconds of release, that champagne glass balanced on backside shot had been dissected, spoofed and pilloried ad infinitum.
Of course, those of us old enough to have experienced a naked, pregnant Demi Moore on the front of Vanity Fair are getting cover controversy deja vu. But that’s a whole other story…
The internet makes social commentators of us all and this is one of those splashy, eye popping social media moments ripe for sharing and evaluating. From the gazillions of posts and tweets about Kimmy’s shoot, the most common train of thought is as follows:
A)Why is she famous?
And
B)Why is she famous?
Scratch just beneath the surface though and something far more interesting emerges.
In the past few days, I’ve read some genuinely excellent blog entries and articles on race, body politics and feminism all written in response to the Kardashian pictures. These are big, grown up themes not easy to express as pithy soundbites.
Yes, it is a shame that we have to use a naked Kim as a hook to hang real issues on. But debate can only be healthy, no matter how unlikely the source it has stemmed from. Even our dear old battered and bruised tabloid press have weighed in with some strong opinion pieces on body image and the representation of women in mainstream media. That in itself is a small miracle.
No one is arguing for a second that La Kardashian turned to her people and said, “I wanna be the springboard for some good, in depth critical writing. Get me a champagne glass and a bottle of baby oil. Stat.”
However, there is a bittersweet irony that a woman often held up as the poster girl for the ongoing trivalisation of modern celebrity culture has accidentally sparked thought-provoking conversation. Kim Kardashian is not about to lead a revolution in sexual politics or change the way that women of colour are represented in magazines. But by default, the reaction and the weight of commentary that photo shoot has incited has made people think.
And not just about the pros and cons of her bottom or why she’s famous.
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Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you'd like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.