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There’s nothing like Kim Kardashian’s greased assets to make a mother get honest about female empowerment. I mean, I think the female form is beautiful. In general, I’m all for nudity!

Until…

I am intrusively confronted with it greasily slinking out of sequins and “breaking the Internet.”

I reflect that the photograph was brilliantly strategized to promote the Kardashian’s multimillion-dollar celebrity profile.

I am struck that our children and teenagers are soaking in this slick marketing technique as the way to get self worth (and millions more Twitter followers). And in many instances, are emulating her…down to the detailed cosmetic application, hairstyle, and nude selfies. And more seriously, mimicking the polished and languid avoidance of topics deeper than “favorite looks.”

 ****

Are you freaked out now? Well you should be if you’re a parent and have functioning grey matter. I mean honestly, did you read the article that accompanied the photos in Paper Magazine? Amanda Fortini did a great job addressing Kim Kardashian’s brilliant execution of celebrity fortune, including a mocking observation that Kim’s “perceived lack of accomplishment is also, perhaps, an accomplishment in itself.” Fortini did such a great job, that after reading the article I was left dumbfounded and disturbed.

Between celebrity trash culture turned on our TV channels and our obscene pursuits of impossible beauty standards, we have nearly annihilated the intelligent female image our mother’s fought for in the ‘60’s. I’m dismayed to hear stories from my college students that they must have to have a male escort at parties or feel at risk for being publicly grabbed or otherwise sexually assaulted! I can assure you, as a teenager in the ‘80’s, I was never worried about my shoulder padded, neon outfitted parts being groped during a party simply because I had parts.

What has happened to female empowerment? Kim’s nudie-shootie screams as a call to action for parents everywhere to start teaching their kids about self worth, sexuality, and the true meaning of social media likes.

Tips to help ensure our kids blossom into proud, intelligent, self-honoring adults:

  • Don’t take nude or provocative selfies. Although your body is beautiful, exciting, and fun, a digital blast of it is not something you can control. You may think the message is your ownership of sexy, but the cutting criticism and mocking of others is not the messaging you want to have or that you can control. If Kim Kardashian’s style team can’t stop people from annihilating her with despicable criticisms, neither can you. As a thinking human being you have a responsibility to protect yourself from others being emotionally abusive just for the fun of it. Honor yourself by loving and protecting your body and the heart that it harbors.
  • The true seed of self worth comes from your soul, not your private parts. Who you are comes from intelligent reflection and acts of true kindness, not from social media exposure. Social media is fun, but means nothing beyond that. Keep it in perspective.
  • Your body, with all of its uniqueness, is powerfully worthy of love. We don’t have to have Kim’s skin which is the “golden color of whiskey, is free of wrinkles, crow’s feet, laugh lines, blemishes, freckles, moles, under-eye circles, scars, errant eyebrow hairs or human flaws of any kind” to radiate true beauty. We are beautiful in the way we were born, not in the way we are digitally altered.
  • Wasting two hours executing a torturous beauty regimen is a waste of precious moments. Spend 15 minutes accentuating your “cute,” and the remaining 105 soaking in the true pleasures in your life, like your family, friends, pets, and the sunny blue sky. Those moments have true meaning, not eyeliner and mascara applications.
  • Kim’s last marriage lasted 72 days. She simply doesn’t have it right. But as a human being, she’s welcome to her journey without us hating on her…or emulating her. Our time is best spent becoming the best we can be. If Kim’s best is “her perceived lack of accomplishment,” then I challenge you to leave her to it. As the loving protectors of our children, our energies are best spent making sure our children aim far higher. Let’s love and support them in that journey by giving them our time, our validation, and our wisdom from lives lived passionately.

I’m the mom psychologist who will help you GetKidsInternetSafe.

Onward to More Awesome Parenting,

Tracy S. Bennett, Ph.D.
Mom, Clinical Psychologist, CSUCI Adjunct Faculty
www.GetKidsInternetSafe.com

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Dr. Tracy Bennett
Dr. Tracy Bennett
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