Khloe Kardashian is a Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum who was on the receiving end of an unfortunate amount of body-shaming during the show's early years. When KUWTK fans look back at the unhealthy standards for women in those years, they realize that Khloe wasn't alone. Footage from early seasons shows Khloe's Kar-Jenner family members putting her down for the most superficial reasons. The way that Khloe was treated is especially upsetting as she has admittedly been insecure in recent years, and this may be the product of what she saw and heard back then.
At the series reunion, Andy Cohen asked about unrealistic body standards. All of the sisters argued that they worked as hard to get their ideal bodies as anybody could. At the same time, it may be unfair to pin Hollywood's unrealistic body standards entirely on the KUWTK cast members. However, it rang as tone-deaf when the sisters wouldn't take accountability. Andy asked Khloe if she felt she was treated differently after she lost weight. Khloe said yes with regard to the entertainment industry, but no with regard to her family. She shared how designers used to bring racks of clothing for her sisters, but provide only a few items for her. However, her family isn't entirely innocent either.
Before Khloe's first nude photo shoot for PETA, Caitlyn Jenner chose to criticize Khloe's body. Looking back, Khloe said she'd tell herself to ignore outside expectations. Caitlyn got crass when she said, "don't you think you could lose a few pounds?" Khloe was baffled, and responded, "What?" To her credit, at a very young age, Kylie Jenner said that Khloe was fine the way she was. When Caitlyn suggested that Khloe's weight was the reason why she wore black, Khloe yelled that she wore the color because she was depressed. Khloe's figure was attractive, as Kendall said, but she was a foot taller than Kim and Kourtney. Kris, Kim, and Kourtney seemed to tiptoe around the fact that Khloe looked different than her sisters. These days, Khloe's even had to defend her daughter True Thompson from cruel body-shamers.
When it came time for Khloe's PETA cover to be unveiled, she proudly stood next to it and said, "It took a lot for me to do the ad. I'm not a typical stick skinny girl as you can see I got a booty, I got boobies, you know I have it." She continued, "People need to know you have to embrace your curves and love who you are. I'd rather go naked in any way that I am than wear fur."
In many ways, Khloe's humor, refusal to conform to industry standards, and sass to anyone who criticized her made her a fan favorite. She admitted later, at the reunion, that her confidence was much better than it was when they first started filming, but her sense of self has ebbed and flowed over the years. While many fans feel betrayed by Khloe's dramatic transformation, everyone should ask themselves how her family members, the industry, and fans contributed to the endless body-shaming.
All the sisters have made a considerable effort to include models of all sizes in promos for their brands, from SKIMS to Good American. However, their promotion of weight loss formulas and waist trainers tells a different story. It's hard to fault Khloe for being body-conscious, considering the shade she's gotten, but it would be refreshing and empowering to see all the sisters take accountability for how they've been victims (and proponents) of unhealthy body standards in their Keeping Up With the Kardashians Hulu spin-off.