KUWTK: Why Kim Was Wrong to Tweet About Privilege During A Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in so many ways, and Kim Kardashian of Keeping Up With The Kardashians wants her followers on social media to know she has been enduring the pains along with them. Of course, Kim's tweet on Tuesday, filling fans in on how she spent her 40th birthday, proved to be much more offensive, rather than comforting. Overall, the tweet is incredibly privileged, and ultimately a tone-deaf decision by the social media mogul.
Like so many events in 2020, Kim's birthday was likely to look very different from previous years. She celebrated her birthday on October 21, and found a way to make the day special by traveling to a private island with her friends and family. The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star apparently limited the guest list to her "closest inner circle," even if several other celebrities did send her birthday wishes. Obviously, this was a poor decision on Kim's part, even if she did claim that she and each of her guests underwent rigorous testing and health screening leading up to the celebration. But Kim's decision to share the news on social media is what's truly alarming.
Kim's post to her Twitter account took social media by storm, as it highlighted the vast differences in how so many of us are living our lives during quarantine. Although Kim tried to acknowledge how difficult the quarantine has been on everyone everywhere, the very fact that she was able to party on a private island with her loved ones demonstrates her immense privilege. As an incredibly wealthy celebrity, she can afford to, in her own words "pretend things were normal just for a brief moment in time." To Kim's credit, she did recognize her own privilege at the end of her thread:
Unfortunately, Kim's decision to discuss privilege on Twitter remains inappropriate. Although the socialite has used her platform for a lot of good (and controversy) over the years, this specific attempt to recognize her own privilege and comfort others only came across as shallow and dangerous. So many people across the globe would love to return to normalcy and experience new things, but a pandemic that has claimed over one million lives worldwide makes that nearly impossible. Many people have accepted this reality, and have agreed to put such hopes aside in favor of contributing to the common good. Kim's need to celebrate her 40th birthday abroad feels like a betrayal of the common effort that so many others have bought into.
Kim Kardashian may have thought she was providing hope to her followers when she gave them an update on how she spent her 40th birthday, but she ultimately flexed her wealth and privilege instead. In a society that has become increasingly critical of the bubble that surrounds celebrities and their wealth, and their detachment from the realities that the rest of the world is forced to face, deliberately flaunting your riches clearly comes off as out of touch. While there's nothing inherently wrong with being wealthy, Kim may be more sensitive about what she posts in the future—or better yet, she may think twice about the potentially harmful activities her privilege allows her to engage in.
Keeping Up With the Kardashians airs Thursdays at 8 pm ET on E!
Source: Kim Kardashian