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Khloe Kardashian Breaks Silence on Unedited Bikini Photo: ‘I Am Not Perfect’
Speaking her truth. Khloé Kardashian broke her silence on her unedited bikini photo scandal. “Hey guys, this is me and my body unretouched and unfiltered. The photo that was posted this week is beautiful. But as someone who has struggled with body image her whole life, when someone takes a photo of you that isn’t flattering in bad lighting or doesn’t capture your body the way it is after working so hard to get it to this point — and then shares it to the world — you should have every right to ask for it to not be shared — regardless of who you are,” the longtime Keeping Up With the Kardashians star wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, April 7, along with sharing several workout clips.
“In truth, the pressure, constant ridicule and judgment my entire life to be perfect and to meet other’s standards of how I should look has been too much to bear. ‘Khloé is the fat sister,’ ‘Khloé is the ugly sister,’ ‘Her dad must not be her real dad because she looks so different,’ ‘The only way she could have ever lost that weight must have been from surgery,'” Khloé, 36, continued her lengthy message.
“Oh, but who cares how she feels because she grew up in a life of privilege? She’s also on a reality show so she signed up for all of this. I’m, of course not asking for sympathy but I am asking to be acknowledged for being human. I am not perfect but I promise you that I try every day to live my life as honestly as possible and with empathy and kindness. It doesn’t mean that I have not made mistakes. But I am not going to lie. It’s almost unbearable trying to live up to the impossible standards that the public have all set for me,” she added.
“For those else who feel the constant pressure of not ever feeling perfect enough, I want you to know I see you and I understand. Every day, I am told by my family and friends who love me that I am beautiful, but I know that it needs to be believed from within,” Khloé concluded. “We are all unique and perfect in our own way. Whichever way one chooses to be seen. I have realized that we cannot continue to live life trying to fit into the perfect mold of what others have set for us. Just do you and make sure your heart is happy.”
The Good American founder’s statement comes two days after an unauthorized photo of Khloé wearing an animal print swimsuit was accidentally leaked online. The picture was taken during a family function at Kris Jenner‘s Palm Springs, California, home over Easter weekend.
“The color edited photo was taken of Khloé during a private family gathering and posted to social media without permission by mistake by an assistant,” Tracy Romulus, who is the Chief Marketing Officer for KKW Brands, told Page Six in a Monday, April 5, statement. “Khloé looks beautiful, but it is within the right of the copyright owner to not want an image not intended to be published taken down.”
Upon realizing the oversight, the E! personality “went ballistic,” a source exclusively revealed to Life & Style. “She hated it and demanded her team take it down.” According to the insider, Khloé wouldn’t have posted an image of that nature “without some serious altering.”
Over the years, the mother of one, who shares daughter True with her off-again, on-again boyfriend, Tristan Thompson, has been called out for heavily editing and Photoshopping her photos on a number of occasions — accusations she has since denied. “Making such a fuss about this one slipping through the cracks just shows how desperate she is to convey an image that really isn’t her,” the source explained. “Fans love the real Khloé; the way she really looks. It’s very hypocritical to tell your fans to own their body types when you can’t do it yourself. It’s disappointing.”
The Revenge Body host has a long history of promoting body positivity, specifically about how her health and fitness journey has nothing to do with her appearance. “It started as that, but it was never my goal. It was never: ‘I want to look good in a bikini.’ It was never my goal,” Khloé told “On Purpose” podcast host, Jay Shetty, in an October 2019 interview. “I just wanted to feel good mentally. And I think when you start putting yourself first, you start feeling so much better.”
The California native went on to say that her split from ex-husband Lamar Odom in 2013 promoted her to make a lifestyle change. “For me, I was overweight — I was unhealthy — for a lot of my life,” Khloé recalled. “I started going to the gym during my divorce, like a significant and consistent amount for my mental health. I needed a release and I needed to feel strong, and I just needed to get rid of all these thoughts.”
