In Nomy Lamm's "It's a Big Fat Revolution," Lamm mentions the "lifetime of media exposure" as well as the common notion that "fat is ugly." I am curious as to how these ideas are relevant when referencing a celebrity figure. Obviously, Kim Kardashian is a well known brand name in our society, and has often been in the media for promoting her own weight-loss "tricks" and plans, her DASH brand name, and other fashion and beauty lines. However, recently there has been constant flack in the media regarding her "baby bump" and this association with her looking "fat." While previously Kim was sexualized for her ideal curvy body, suddenly the second she gains weight, which is a normal progression for pregnant mothers, headlines across the world read "FAT."
http://www.fashionnstyle.com/articles/5825/20130408/pregnant-kim-kardashian-baby-bump-jumpsuit-fashion-photos-revealed-unflattering-outfit-shows-off-very-curvy-body-butt-see-now.htm
This recent article discusses not only a recent photo of Kim baring her bare baby bump for "all to see," but also with critiques of her pregnancy look being "unflattering" and referencing her "bombshell boobs." Do media outlets such as this one lead us to critique a common stage in our daily lives? When we see media headlines stating the exact number of pounds she has gained since her pregnancy began, how can other pregnant women feel confident while constantly seeing news stories and publications implying weight gain is wrong, even under such circumstances?
This brings up another issue, discussed in Chapter 5 of Susan M. Shaw and Janet Lee's "Women's Voices, Feminist Visions" of the beauty ideals in our society. Coming from a society where sexualizing Kim Kardashian's body is part of the norm, suddenly, when she is pregnant, she is now fat, and now "less beautiful." The "baby bump" is so highly criticized for all of celebrities in the media. Instead of focusing on the positive outcomes of pregnancy or the beauty of a new life in the making, we still return to the beauty ideals of women, and how women in the media especially, must remain thin and fit, even when going through a pregnancy.
Is sexuality abandoned once a woman becomes pregnant? Should women who are pregnant lose their right to feel "sexy" because they are gaining weight? What if Kanye West put on a few pounds? Would the numbers read on magazine headlines everywhere, and how would the media respond then? I think that Kim Kardashian's pregnancy is a good way to criticize our media and look at the ways that we can avoid the criticism of gaining weight as being "wrong." If girls who look up to celebrities, or even are just exposed to these celebrities, start to judge strictly on the opinions of weight gain instead of actions and roles in society, how are the younger generations supposed to avoid this beauty ideal and change this global body image issue?
Let me know what you decide.
It really is sad how these celebrity mothers can't go through their pregnancies in peace! I agree with your ending statement, "if girls who look up to celebrities...start to judge about weight gain instead of actions, how is the younger generation supposed to avoid this beauty ideal and change this global body image issue?" Kim should be able to put on a few pounds throughout her pregnancy and not be judged, after all she is eating for two! Our generation should be looking at Kim for the mother that she is becoming, not the mother who is FAT!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Katie! I agree! i feel it is hard enough to go through the trials and tribulations of becoming a mother, nevermind having to do so in the eyes of the entire public. While someone like Kim Kardashian is obviously used to being in the public eye, I think the scrutiny of her weight should not be so harsh while being pregnant. I also definitely think this poses the question of how we are supposed to view celebrities. So many of our celebrities are judged strictly on the way they look, such as who looked hotter in this dress or who looked fatter even. I think this is definitely a critique of our society and our view of celebrities. I think the difficult part is deciding what we can all do individually to change this national issue.
DeleteI agree with your comment about the fact that if Kanye put on a few pounds nobody would say a thing! This goes back to what Kilbourne was saying in "Two Ways Women Get Hurt" the fact that women are over sexualized in the media and seen as objects, not people with feelings and so the 'object' being Kim Kardashian has changed and is no longer this 'perfect' hour glass body shape. Consequently she is being scrutinized by the media which is insane, she's having a baby for god sake! However I do actually think some positivity can come out of this as celebrities always look 'perfect' to us and when we compare ourselves to them we're never as skinny or as pretty. The fact that Kim is putting on some baby weight could be looked at as comforting for pregnant women out there. If Kim still remained slender throughout her pregnancy except for the baby bump of course then it would make pregnant women out there be envious and feeling bad about themselves. If Kim Kardashian puts on baby weight then members of the public for once are seeing reality and the fact that maintaining the 'perfect' body shape is fairly unnatural. So yes, it's not nice for Kim for being slated and it is wrong, yet for members of the public it could be seen as somewhat comforting that celebrities aren't so perfect after all.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really good point! I didn't look at it that way! I definitely agree. With help from people such as Kim Kardashian that contest this obligatory view of pregnant women, maybe there would not be such a socialized pressure to look a certain way, especially while pregnant. I wonder how pregnant women feel when looking at Kim Kardashian's pregnant figure in the magazine as opposed to previous pregnant mothers (and models) such as Gisele Bundchen, who might not have been visibly pregnant had it not been for the slight "baby bump." I hope this does fight some of the stereotypical views of the beauty ideals that exist in our society. Good point!
DeleteI find it really disturbing that the media is calling Kim Kardashian (and other pregnant celebrities) fat. Women are SUPPOSED to gain weight when they are pregnant. It's natural. By calling them fat, they are forced to lose the baby weight in a ridiculous short amount of time. It's sad that these women who are in the limelight can't be pregnant in peace. Pregnancy is supposed to be a beautiful thing, but instead, the media has made it to be some name calling circus. Great point when you said that if Kanye gained a few pounds, the media wouldn't say a thing. But then again, the media is getting reckless with both men and women. I know that recently, Kim's brother, Rob, has been under the media's scrutiny for gaining weight after he broke up with his girlfriend. The media is calling him "fat" and "chubby." Unfortunately, I think we have reached the point where the media will talk about anyone (both men and women) who doesn't fit the "ideal body type."
ReplyDeleteI agree Cecilia. I think the issue with the ideal body type is beginning to confront every and anyone it can. The social media outlets have begun to simply just criticize anything that is possible as opposed to recognizing the good of people, and instead focusing on the "ugly," literally. I hope that pregnant mothers can soon simply just be pregnant mothers, in or out of the spotlight, and will not have to worry about what kind of criticism this might entail. Thanks for the comment!
DeletePersonally i think all the negative comments towards Kim are awful because when you are having a baby you OBVIOUSLY you gain weight!!! I think it is absolutely horrible to see all the comments because it really makes you think that having a baby is un tasteful and a woman is not sexy nor is she desirable. This is a real eye opener for me because i don't remember any other celebrity getting as much negativity as she has and for men to see this and think how nasty she looks they will being to internalize this and see pregnancy as ugly. Sad day and age.
ReplyDeleteI know. I remember Jessica Simpson also getting a lot of flack, however, I agree that it just shows the development of weight scrutiny in our society. I hope to see more positive feedback in regards to baby weight come out of our society in the near future.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment!
Hi there.... I'm just testing the comment feature. No need to respond. Great job, Tara!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your blog. I think the media is especially hard on female celebrities. I also really connected with your example of Kanye. If he gained a little weight, nothing would be said, but females are constantly being targeted based on their appearance and weight. The target of women comes from the way that our society sexualizes women's bodies, but it is sad to see that women are targeted more than men.
ReplyDeleteI also think you bring up a good point and example of Kim Kardashian and her pregnancy. It is interesting that she is being criticized for her weight during pregnancy. It doesn't seem like it would be very good for young celebrity's esteem or ideas. I also think that it is interesting that women are being targeted by doing something that they were biologically supposed to do. Women are "meant to be childbearing." I think that this is a paradox because it is praised if you are pregnant, but as we can see, we don't appreciate the ways that women's bodies look while they are pregnant. It is an interesting dynamic that the media presents.
Thanks for the comment! I agree, it is such a double-edged sword. We are supposed to appreciate the beauty of birth, and yet criticism focuses so heavily on the mother and her weight, when this seems like an unimportant issue to me, and it seems like to you as well. Female celebrities especially are constantly so criticized over their weight and I think it is becoming a larger and larger issue. I hope the media can back off a bit. Thanks again!
DeleteWhile it's true that there have been a lot of negative feedback on Kim's pregnancy weight, I also think that there is a lot of "positive" things. From what I've seen in the media about her weight gain, a lot of tabloid and news outlets have commented on how great Kim looks while pregnant and how she dresses well to still look sexy! Sadly though, bad news sells better which is probably a big factor in the amount of negative coverage. I think that another aspect that plays into the obsession of the negative attacks is that the media likes tearing down celebrities to show that they arn't perfect. As a celebrity you need to be flawless and when you do something that isnt perfect, the media eats it up. So when Kim gains weight from pregnancy I think the media tries to show she's not superwoman by bringing her down to our level.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point, thanks for the comment! I think it is difficult to focus on the positive aspects of the pregnancy when the negative things are so much more readily available. I agree though, there definitely are some positive aspects of Kim getting pregnant, I guess just from my point of view it appears the good has been outweighed by the bad. Another good point about bringing celebrities down to "our level" of "not perfect." However, I think this idea is complicated because while it is positive in some aspects to making viewers and readers feel better about themselves, it still focuses on negativity and the positive aspect of criticism, which in my opinion, is not very positive at all. Thanks!
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