Kardashian
very much in the house, decked out in a black, bodyhugging designer dress and stiletto heels and displaying a friendly, easygoing grace in a freewheeling conversation that riffed on everything from women and body image to her endorsement of Hillary Clinton.
Hosted by the Commonwealth Club, the 60-minute session began with Cordell’s joking, introductory redcarpet question, “What are you wearing?”
Kardashian replied that her dress was courtesy of Balmain, one of her favorite designers, her shoes were Manolo Blahniks. And showing a gift for self-deprecating self-disclosure, she added she was wearing Spanx body-slimming undergarments, later adding she never leaves the house without them. Pregnant The Commonwealth Club hosted an interview in which LaDoris Cordell, left, talked Tuesday with Kim Kardashian. with baby No. 2 with husband and rapper Kanye West, she’s currently wearing “pregnancy Spanx,” which doesn’t “squeeze the baby” but covers the cellulite, she noted.
Her Spanx disclosure was a striking example of how, conscious or not, Kardashian aims to disarm her critics. And there are many, including those who were irked that she had been invited by the prestigious Commonwealth Club, better known for showcasing world leaders, captains of industry and assorted visionaries or that someone of Cordell’s stature would deem to interview her. Sponsored by the club’s youth-oriented Inforum division, the reality TV star’s appearance was ostensibly to promote “Selfish,” her more than 400-page book of selfies.
When Cordell, a Stanford Law grad, pressed her on the issue of the media’s objectification of women, Kardashian agreed that it “absolutely” happens and noted that women also have the power to, and should, take control of their own media portrayals. Referencing some of her most famous nude photo shoots, including last fall’s images in Paper magazine, where her derrière was on display on the cover, she said: “I’ve chosen to put them in there. I’m proud of them. I think there is power of that. … I feel proud of that. Even if it’s objectifying myself, I’m OK with that.”
She didn’t always feel good about her body, growing up in one that didn’t fit the tall, slender ideal established in her girlhood by supermodels like Cindy Crawford.
“There weren’t a lot of women who had curvy bodies, not until Salma Hayek and Jennifer Lopez came along.”
She also told Cordell that while she doesn’t mind people calling her a feminist, she’s not fond of labels. She also supports Hillary Clinton’s candidacy and regards women such as Michelle Obama and Beyoncé as “empowering” and “strong.”
As the wife of West, a black man, and the mother of biracial children, she recognizes that racism is still alive and well, especially in the United States. “I think Kanye and I together have such great communication. He’s very vocal about issues, especially racism. I think it will be very helpful for our children.”
Kardashian and her family were also in the public eye the past year for their response to news that her stepfather Bruce Jenner was coming out as a transgender woman. Indeed, Kardashian and her family gained public relations props for their unwavering support for Caitlyn Jenner’s culturally transformative journey. Instead of sensationalizing Jenner’s physical and emotional changes, the family came across in their two-part TV special as handling it with honesty, humor, sensitivity and compassion.
On Tuesday night, Kardashian said she and her family were heartened by the public’s outpouring of support for Jenner.
“I think it’s been more supportive than we ever could have imagined,” she said. “Everyone has been so amazing. Caitlyn is so grateful for that.”