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*Here we go again …
Can y’all stop hating on Kim Kardashian and her family?
I get … these days it seems every woman on Instagram is trying to mimic Kim Kardashian or one of her sisters.
But should they be judged so harshly for their success? And why do sisters constantly throw shade at the Kardashian family? Is the criticism valid, or is it just plain ol jealously? I’m thinking it’s more of the latter.
Y’all mad because she’s popularized having a phat ass, and that her sister, Kylie, has made it fashionable to have full lips, while black women are still looked over by the media – and society in general – despite always having these attributes naturally.
Well, get over it!
Why do you need to be recognized by anyone? I thought you didn’t need validation from other people. What happened to you being strong and independent?
Besides, your natural curves and beauty have ALWAYS been celebrated and appreciated by African American men. We even write songs about it. But that’s not enough for you is it sisters? Words of affirmation from black men simply don’t sound the same as when they come from white men or white women. I understand.
I wanna make one thing very clear …
Over the years, originating when Pam Grier would flaunt her curves in raunchy 1970s blaxploitation films, African American women have instinctively used their bodies to gain notoriety in Hollywood.
In fact, generally, there aren’t many women you can point to who‘ve achieved success in entertainment without exploiting themselves physically.
Women like Pam Grier, Jane Fonda, Jennifer Lopez, and many, many others paved the way for Kim Kardashian to be who she is today.
However, the only name on this list that’s perpetually ridiculed and criticized is Kardashian, and frankly, it’s because she’s light years ahead of her peers and her predecessors in terms of wealth, fame and influence.
In short, she’s an extraordinarily attractive girl whose only talent is posing for cameras … but it’s earned her millions of dollars, international recognition, and a husband who’s currently with $3 Billion (yes, with a B).
Thusly, it’s quite understandable why Kim Kardashian is envied by women everywhere – especially black women who perpetually accuse her of being a culture vulture and a surgically enhanced male succubus.
But I’ll get to that later …
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First, I must address LisaRaye McCoy.
LisaRaye has NO business pointing her 52-year-old finger at Kim Kardashian.
Many moons ago, in the 1990s, back when she was young and in her physical prime, Raye’s penchant for showing off her curves elevated her to levels of stardom that she may not have reached if she were less attractive and more conservative with her appearance.
She was hood famous – and like Kim Kardashian – her claim to fame had little to do with individual talent, and more to do with her being physically attractive (and sporting one of the finest rear ends Hollywood has ever seen).
She relied on her “assets” to build her brand and cultivate relationships in the business. These efforts eventually opened the door for her to play her most famous movie role as a morally conscious stripper in the hood classic “Players Club.”
She’s also been featured – half-naked – in men’s interest publications like “King” Magazine, XXL, and many others.
Quite frankly, LisaRaye was Kim Kardashian … before Kim Kardashian was Kim Kardashian.
The only difference is that LisaRaye only managed to gain recognition in the ghetto, while Kardashian miraculously created a formula for her brand that no other woman has been able to duplicate or surpass.
Love it or hate it, she’s one of the most influential women ON THE PLANET, and her sisters have shared in her success, each becoming famous in their own right, and considerably wealthy too.
If you consider how LisaRaye’s path to fame was very similar to Kim’s and her sisters, then it seems reasonable to ask why LisaRaye would accuse Kim of being a poor role model for young girls.
According to LisaRaye and many other hating-ass critics, Kim and her sisters – Khloe, Kourtney, Kylie, and Kendall – are setting unrealistic standards of beauty for young girls. They’ve also been accused on many occasions of hijacking and profiting from black culture.
LisaRaye says that Kim and her sisters aren’t flaunting their “natural” bodies which gives their fans false illusions of what beauty should be.
To an extent, I agree with her – the Kardashians have all had their fair share of plastic surgery. It’s not a secret.
They shouldn’t be perceived as the standard-bearers for young girls who are grappling with personal insecurities about how they look.
However, the Kardashians aren’t the first women to pay for surgical enhancement, nor are they the first women to exploit themselves for profit and notoriety.
And if critics like LisaRaye and others would prefer young girls to ignore unrealistic beauty constructs, then perhaps they should reveal more depth as women instead of posing for “the gram” themselves.
Lisa Raye is 52 years old and her Instagram page remains saturated with photos of her flaunting “curves” that I’m sure have been touched up by a surgeon.
She ain’t the only one … this list includes J-Lo, Tracey Ellis Ross, Sannaa Lathan, Elizabeth Hurley, Jada Pinkett Smith (and her mama), Angela Bassett, and plenty other female celebs in their 40’s, 50’s, and even sixties.
Should I mention the millions of “Instagram models” around the world who advertise sexually provocative, and digitally enhanced images of themselves – mostly naked – for everyone to see?
With so many examples of women doing the exact same thing – whoring for attention – why do critics single out Kim Kardashian and her sisters?
I’ll tell you why, it’s because she’s BETTER at it then everyone else, and though many have tried to duplicate her formula, no one has succeeded. It’s pure jealously. Plain and simple.
Sisters, here’s some food for thought – instead of focusing on how you look, and comparing yourselves to nonblacks, try making an effort to improve other aspects of your lives.
Read a book, learn a new skill, pick up a hobby. Instead of advertising photos and videos of yourselves twerking on Instagram and Facebook – which has gotten old – showcase deeper levels of your personality and creativity.
Maybe if you start offering the world more than your bodies, you won’t get offended whenever a Kardashian gets attention.
Let’s be honest, not too many women can leak a sex tape and blow up the way Kim did. If that were even remotely possible for the rest of you, then all y’all would be rich right now.
If you don’t believe me … then go ahead and release that footage of you and LeAndre. See how far it goes.
Just sayin.
The Black Hat is written by Southern California based Cory A. Haywood, a freelance writer and expert on Negro foolishness. Contact him via: [email protected] and/or visit his blog: www.enterthehat.com, or send him a message on Twitter: @coryahaywood
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