When will we stop promoting capitalism under the guise of feminism and personal growth?
In a new promo video for Variety Magazine, Kim Kardashian revealed she had the “best advice for women in business”, to “get [their] fucking ass up and work”. Similar to PLT Creative Director, Molly Mae’s “24 hours in a day” comments, Kim has received a large amount of backlash. However, there is still a large majority of people retweeting, sharing and posting Kim’s tone-deaf comments and claiming them to be ‘inspirational’.
Kardashian, who requires no introduction, did not grow up in the depths of poverty, which one would expect from a self-proclaimed, ‘self-made billionaire’. In reality, Kardashian grew up in a decently wealthy upper-middle-class household, with extra opportunities afforded to her through her dad’s connections. Of course, this is not to discredit Kardashian, as she is a successful, hard-worker, entrepreneur and the definition of a ‘Girlboss’. With an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion and a shapewear empire that is worth $3.2 billion[1], it is clear Kardashian is not hard up for cash. It is comical when celebrities like these claim that their success is solely due to hard work and drive, when in fact, it is the hard work of the garment workers who are underpaid and do unpaid overtime to keep the brand afloat. These so-called ‘empowered’ women don’t include these female factory workers in their Girlboss feminism. This is simply because, Girlboss feminism is not true feminism, and how can it be, when women’s value is determined by how ‘successful’ they are?
Image courtesy of Variety
The scariest part of this glorification of ‘hard work’ is that so many young girls are influenced by these women and see them as aspirational figures. Why is it we are now expecting young girls to be successful and beautiful before they’ve even reached the age of 22? All whilst still expecting them to be domesticated mothers and wives. Why are women still expected to have it all? Are we still living in the 90s?
Image courtesy of Sky News
Kim’s comments reflect a larger societal problem. “It seems like so many people don’t want to work these days” solidifies Kardashian’s detachment from reality. Many people are unable to work because of disability and also from difficulty getting a job. Many businesses went bust during the pandemic and people were made redundant, not to mention the fact that these unemployed people often have a family to support and are desperately trying to get a job. For Kim and Molly Mae, it’s all just numbers. When one is that rich, it’s often difficult to see people as individuals, with their own hardships and life stories. Women like Kardashian and Hague, cannot see past their own success, and to be honest, don’t wish to. Recognising that their achievements are built off of an already wealthy platform and the disempowerment of women is a hard pill to swallow.
Image courtesy of the Independent
How can a person who was born on third base claim that they’ve achieved a homerun?
[1]E. McEvoy, Kim Kardashian Is $600 Million Richer After Shapewear Brand Skims Hits $3.2 Billion Valuation, Forbes Magazine Online, (2022) https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2022/01/28/kim-kardashian-is-600-million-richer-after-shapewear-brand-skims-hits-32-billion-valuation/?sh=7ac12c9170d6
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