Find out what happened after an unedited photo of Khloé Kardashian went viral.
The reality star is forced to defend her decision to have an unflattering photo taken offline
Khloé Kardashian’s team was in a scramble when an unauthorized photo of the star recently began making the rounds after being accidentally posted online by an assistant. The seemingly unedited and unfiltered image — which showed Kardashian posing poolside in a leopard-print string bikini — spread quickly before the chief marketing officer for KKW Brands announced they were removing it from the internet. “Khloé looks beautiful but it is within the right of the copyright owner to not want an image not intended to be published taken down,” an April 5 statement revealed.
Fans quickly turned against the 36-year-old, accusing her of billing herself as a body-positivity role model then proceeding to censor undoctored pictures that show what she really looks like. The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star took to Instagram to explain her decision. “As someone who has struggled with body image her whole life,” she told her followers in the April 7 post, “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.”
Insiders tell Us that it’s a no-win situation for Kardashian. “Khloé’s got pretty thick skin most of the time, but this situation really stings,” says one source. “People are beating on her from every direction and calling her a fake and a phony without considering the whole story.”
UNDER A MICROSCOPE
Kardashian is no stranger to criticism over her appearance. “Khloé’s always been told she could never hold a candle to her famous siblings,” explains a second insider, “and that’s a tough thing to constantly face.”
It’s a point that the mom of one (she shares True, 3, with NBA player Tristan Thompson) addressed in her Instagram post. “The constant ridicule… has been too much to bear,” she wrote. “‘Khloé is the fat sister.’ ‘Khloé is the ugly sister.’ You never quite get used to being judged and pulled apart.” According to the first source, Kardashian’s insecurities have turned her into a perfectionist about her looks: “She spent years fixating over the shape and size of her nose, her lips, her cheekbones.” (The Good American designer has been open about getting fillers in the past.)
MENTAL SPACE
One thing Kardashian is proud of is how much effort she’s put into getting into shape. “Anyone who knows Khloé will tell you she works her butt off in the gym and watches her diet week in, week out,” says the source. “Sure, she’s used filters and airbrushing on some social media snaps but she’s like, ‘Who hasn’t?’ At the end of the day, it’s her prerogative to choose what photos she puts online, nobody else’s. End of story!”
The insider says Kardashian is thinking about taking a break from social media in the wake of the controversy. “Khloé could use some time away from being so connected and feels like maybe she should retreat and focus on herself for a bit.” In the meantime, she’s doing her best to tune out the trash talk. “There’s not much she can do about the unwarranted and unkind comments,” notes the first source, “except clap back and keep living her best life.”