The Kardashians have created an unrealistic beauty standard even they can’t keep up with

Earlier this week, an unfiltered photo of Khloe Kardashian was ordered to be removed from social media. Many who saw the photo on social media before it was deleted praised Khloe’s unfiltered and unedited look. The photo showed a side of the Kardashians we rarely see – unposed and unedited.

However, Khloe demanded the photo be removed everywhere and stopped from being shared. Her persistence to have the photo deleted was criticised.

Khloe responded to critics of her decision yesterday in a statement post to her Instagram and Twitter, she said: “The photo that was posted this week is beautiful. But as someone who has struggled with body image her whole life, when someone takes a photo of you that isn’t flattering in bad lighting or doesn’t capture your body the way it is after working so hard to get it to this point – and then shares it to the world – you should have every right to ask for it to not be shared – regardless of who you are.”

She continued: “For over a decade now in photos, every single flaw and imperfection has been micro-analyzed and made fun of to the smallest detail and I am reminded of them every day by the world.”

She finished the statement by saying she understands the constant pressure of “not ever feeling perfect enough” and that “we cannot continue to live life trying to fit into the perfect mould of what others have set for us.”

The Kardashians have been the target of hate and abuse across social media for over a decade and whilst it must be difficult to have that level of scrutiny constantly, many people across social media argue it’s the Kardashians who have exacerbated this pressure to look perfect on social media, rather than the other way round.

When celebrities are not truthful with their fans about the edits and filters they use on their pictures it sets the standard of what is “acceptable” to post on social media. Additionally, it creates a warped idea that celebrities and influencers have achieved their seemingly perfect bodies through just “exercise” and “makeup”. This causes young fans to believe they too can achieve “perfect bodies” when, in reality, it is completely manufactured using filters, editing and surgery.

As a result of this, many people across social media platforms, especially Instagram, feel pressured to follow this standard and post filtered and edited pictures of themselves. This has also led to many people striving to look “perfect” at all times – on and offline.

The Kardashians are some of the most followed individuals on social media and, for over a decade, have shared most of their lives with the public. However, one aspect of their lives they keep very private is whether they’ve had cosmetic procedures and how much they edit their photos.

There have been several times where Khloe or her sisters have admitted to altering their looks after initially trying to avoid telling the truth. In 2015, after months of insisting that she used lipliner to overline her lips to make them look bigger, Kylie Jenner admitted she’d actually had lip fillers. Kylie said she had decided to get filler as her lips were one of her biggest insecurities. Many fans supported Kylie but were disappointed that she had lied to fans before having to admit the truth.

Their desperation to conceal their “natural” selves creates a sense of shame around features and body types that many of their fans share. Khloe’s panic surrounding the picture sends a message to women who look like her, or strive to look like her, that this isn’t good enough for public view.

Featured image credit: @khloekardashian (left), @kyliejenner (middle) and @kendalljenner (right)

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