What the Khloe Kardashian photo scandal says about self confidence

With thin waists, plump lips and a shocking amount of junk in their trunks, the Kardashians have been a heavy influence on new modern beauty standards. Undoubtedly, their power has come with a price - the pressure to always look flawless. Whether or not this pressure is internal or societal is up for debate.

Still, it comes as no surprise that after an unedited bikini snap of Khloe Kardashian was recently and accidentally posted to Instagram, the star quickly had it taken down.

Khloe Kardashian rushes to get bikini pic erased

The image in question shows Khloe wearing her hair in a ponytail and with minimal makeup, but best of all, she seems genuinely happy, maybe for the first time ever. Now, the Kardashian sister is using her ‘copyright ownership’ to block others from reposting the snap - even though fans are actually loving it.

But, by moving with such force to erase the picture from existence, Khloe has completely missed the opportunity to hit back at the beauty standards she and her sisters help reinforce.

The powerful message of unabashed, unedited beauty

Editing or no editing, and regardless of any potential cosmetic procedures, Khloe is still drop-dead gorgeous. By taking down this image of herself, she further perpetuates the narrative that unedited equals undesirable.

By leaving the unedited image up, Khloe could have shown the vulnerable side of herself that her audience adores. She also could have used the opportunity to share a message; that we should strive to love and accept our natural bodies, even if that love is wavering and hard to achieve.

Let’s not forget that this is the same person who two months ago posted another image with the caption ‘I love my stripes.’

Our relationship with our bodies is deeply personal

While Khloe missed the chance to show her viewers that natural is beautiful, in deleting the image, she shared another message, one that is just as important: Our relationship with our bodies is complicated, personal and should be respected.

Of all the Kardashians, Khloe is one we can all sympathise with to some level. She has constantly been bullied throughout her life and compared to her sisters over her size and looks (both by the public and her own family). That level of criticism would mess with anyone’s body image. Back in 2011, the star even broke down on the TV show Khloe and Lamar. In a fit of tears, she confided in her now former-husband Lamar Odum:

I'm so tired of pretending that I'm happy with my weight, just to be a good role model, when I'm so f***ing disgusting.

This emotional break is one we are all familiar with.

Khloe’s own conflicting opinions of beauty and confidence can also be seen in her business endeavours. Not only is this sister the owner of ‘Good American’ - an apparel brand that boasts the importance of embracing your ‘curves’ - but she is also the star of Revenge Body - a show which pushes the idea that losing weight will make you feel better. This, more than anything, highlights the highs and lows of self-confidence.

We’ll never know the way another person struggles with their bodies. So, whether or not the leaked image sparked insecurities, or even if it just didn’t fit with Khloe’s marketable image, she clearly wants it to disappear, and we should just let it.