Kim Kardashian Fans Say She Changes Her Skin Tone Based On Who She Is Dating After Seeing Before & After Photos
She's been accused of darkening her skin before.
Getty / Instagram Kim Kardashian fans are debating whether or not her skin tone has drastically changed from when she was married to Kanye West compared to now that she is dating Pete Davidson.
The reality TV star has been slammed for darkening her skin in the past and has been accused of appropriating Blackness.
But now, Kardashian's new look is causing fans to dig deeper into this criticism.
Kim Kardashian is being accused of darkening her skin while with Kanye West.
On Reddit, fans discussed whether Kardashian's skin was much darker when she was with West and if now she's chosen to forgo using any skin tanner while with Davidson.
"I still think it’s about [the] situation. She has a spray tan in the photos with Kanye as she’s on a red carpet in most with him," one fan wrote.
"The one where she’s on a red carpet with Pete, the tan looks the same. The others with Pete are in London and she’s pretty covered," they continued.
When Davidson and Kardashian were photographed in London, fans pointed out that she looked paler, noting that she might've given up spray-tanning while dating the former 'SNL' comedian.
“Kim has finally realized she can’t continue with the excessive spray tanning if she is going to be with Pete,” one user wrote.
Though, another fan pointed out that the lighting in photos plays a role in how Kardashian's skin tone looks, writing that "it's tough to tell," though they noticed that during her 2022 Met Gala appearance, she did "seem] pretty tan."
Has Kim Kardashian's skin tone changed?
Kardashian is Armenian on her father's side, which some would classify as her not being white or at least not white in the Eurocentric way we view whiteness.
But that hasn't made her immune from backlash for her seemingly unnatural skin tone.
In June 2017, the Skims founder responded to accusations that she darkened her skin in an ad for her new makeup line.
After revealing her new company, KKW Beauty, she posted a photo of herself modeling a highlighter and bronzer, which is when fans accused her of going overboard with editing her skin tone.
“I used an amazing photographer and a team of people. I was really tan when we shot the images, and it might be that the contrast was off," Kardashian told The New York Times of the incident.
Kardashian did apologize, saying that she understood why fans were upset and insisted the issue had been fixed.
"Of course, I have the utmost respect for why people might feel the way they did… We saw the problem, and we adapted and changed right away. Definitely, I have learned from it.”
However, in February 2022, Kardashian was hit with more accusations, this time stemming from cultural appropriation due to her Vogue cover shoot that month.
In the spread, Kardashian was photographed in traditional African hairstyles and outfits that resembled those worn by Black icons.
In one image, Kardashian wore her hair styled in a bun that looked eerily similar to the same style worn by Beyoncé in the "Sorry" music video.
The timing of the magazine's release, during Black History month, mixed in with the fact that Kardashian has already been accused of darkening her skin tone and appropriating Black culture, angered many people.
Kardashian sporting a more natural glow in recent weeks may suggest that she has now learned from her mistakes and is no longer trying to darken her skin.
Or perhaps she just hasn't tanned recently!
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.