Kim K, It's NOT 'Empowerment' If Being Sexy Is All You're Good At

Kim Kardashian may have thought her Paper magazine cover would break the internet but as it turns out, it may be a regular old naked selfie taken in her bathroom that has done just that.

In case you've been avoiding the internet for the past few days, here's how it went down. Kim posted a naked selfie of herself to her Instagram. 

 

A photo posted by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Mar 7, 2016 at 12:07am PST

Bette Midler responded by tweeting, "If Kim wants us to see a part of her we've never seen, she's gonna have to swallow the camera." Meanwhile, Chloë Grace Moretz took a more stern approach, tweeting, "I truly hope you realize how important setting goals are for young women, teaching them we have so much more to offer than just our bodies." And Pink responded in what appeared to be a thinly veiled diss at Kim:

pic.twitter.com/NPRoOcF0y9 — P!nk (@Pink) March 9, 2016

In turn, Kim responded (after sending out some scathing tweets) with an essay on her website slamming slut-shaming and the haters.

"It always seems to come back around to my sex tape. Yes, a sex tape that was made 13 years ago. 13 YEARS AGO. Literally that long ago. And people still want to talk about it?!?!"

Umm... OK. Except that Kanye rapped in "Clique," "my girl a superstar from a home movie." That was just three years ago. And in a yet-to-be-released track from his new album, Kanye says, "Me and Ray J would probably be friends if we wasn't in love with the same bitch ... you might have hit it first, but I'm rich, though."

To be fair, no woman should be held responsible for her significant other's actions. But she does bear responsibility for choosing to be with someone who does bring it up while she asks everyone else to forget about it.

Kim also wrote:

"I am empowered by my body. I am empowered by my sexuality. I am empowered by feeling comfortable in my skin. I am empowered by showing the world my flaws and not being afraid of what anyone is going to say about me. And I hope that through this platform I have been given, I can encourage the same empowerment for girls and women all over the world... It's 2016. The body-shaming and slut-shaming — it's like, enough is enough. I will not live my life dictated by the issues you have with my sexuality. You be you and let me be me."

Emily Ratajowski, Amber Rose, and Abigail Breslin quickly rushed to Kim's defense. And thus, the stars were at war!

Kim is right ... to an extent. Women should be free to express their sexuality in whatever way pleases them. Sadly, we live in a world where many women are forced to dress a certain way lest they be punished.

A woman taking ownership over sexuality and strutting her stuff still ruffles feathers  while a woman being objectified is considered perfectly acceptable. Being a playmate? Largely considered a badge of honor and something to brag about (prior to 2016 anyway.) Showing ample cleavage of your own volition? Slutty.

But I still don't agree with Kim. Don't get me wrong, I love embracing my sexuality. I have plenty of cleavage shots floating around on my Instagram. I've penned many articles about sex and have written for Playboy and Penthouse. I've poked fun at cat calling and slut-shaming. I've defended moms expressing their sexuality. When it comes to expressing oneself sexually, I'm pretty chill about it.

But what seems to have gone over her head (and therefore what makes her angry toward her detractors) is that she has successfully and willingly reduced herself to one thing and one thing only: A vapid sex object.

There's nothing wrong with feeling sexy and expressing it. Plenty of women are sexy. Beyoncé, Sofía Vergara, Chrissy Teigen, Pamela Anderson. But the difference between Kim Kardashian and the aforementioned women is that there's more to them than being sexy.

Unlike Kim's Instagram, you can scroll through any of theirs and see that sexy isn't their sole defining characteristic. Beyoncé can sing and she's made her support known for the Black Lives Matter movement. Chrissy Teigen? Sexy as hell, but also funny and is a dedicated foodie and cookbook author. Even Pamela Anderson, a woman known for taking her clothes off at the drop of a hat, is openly passionate about animal welfare, going through great lengths to use her voice for positive change.

The problem is, when it comes to Kim Kardashian, all we see is the sexy side. She doesn't act. She doesn't sing. She isn't a writer. She's not a painter. OK, fine, she's famous for being pretty. But so is Gisele.

She could easily pepper her Instagram page with half-naked pictures of herself and amass many more followers. Instead, she uses her platform to bring awareness to various social issues including childhood education, wildlife destruction, and her love of yoga.

Does Kim Kardashian read? Does she support any charitable causes? Does she watch Broad City? Does she listen to other music besides Kanye's? At best, all I can discern is that she really loves going to fashion shows. That. Is. It.

What else does Kim do?! I would love to see her lounging by the pool reading Anna Karenina. Or relaxing in her sweats. Playing with a dog. Promoting a charity close to her heart. Cooking her family a meal. Taking North to an art museum. Even speaking about current events or issues. Anything at all!

When she continually posts nude selfies (combined with nonstop pictures of parties and fashion shows), it makes her appear as though she's a one-dimensional person with little else to offer. A sex object who just exists to look pretty and screwable.

It's a stereotype feminists have been fighting against for decades and that's why her detractors are repulsed by her. Women should be able to flaunt their sexuality, while still being valued for their intelligence, loyalty, wit, generosity and all the wonderful things that make us more than just sex objects.

Sorry Kim, but flaunting your tatas (as amazing as they might be) isn't empowerment when you reduce yourself to a one-dimensional person with little to offer other than your ability to take selfies, pose nude, and have sex on tape.

So yes, Kim should be sexy. She should also show us she's smart, interesting, and funny as well.

Because women are more than just pretty faces.

This piece is one writer's opinion and doesn't necessarily reflect the views of the YourTango editorial staff as a whole.