For Keeping Up With The Kardashians star Kim Kardashian, October 21 was a memorable date, as it was her 40th birthday. But it seems, her celebrations are drawing a lot of flak online. While Kim Kardashian has never been one to be subtle about her glamorous lifestyle, her party on a private island was a bit too extra, even for her fans. And the KUWTK star’s birthday bash being bashed online has also made some of Kim’s internet critics label her a modern-day Marie Antoinette.
As part of the extravaganza, Kim and a few of her close friends family members spent her birthday on an exquisite private island. The reality show star and her clique partied at veteran actor Marlon Brando's luxurious The Brando Resort in French Polynesia. The luxury getaway comprising of 35 villas and private pools can pinch one’s wallet for up to $20,000 per night for a single villa. In signature Kardashian style, Kim and 30 of her guests flew to the island on a chartered 88-seat plane. The whole affair reportedly cost her over $2 million. Social media star Kim, who loves sharing everything exciting in her life with the world, posted about her party for her 190 million and 67 million followers on Instagram and Twitter to see. But as it happened in the middle of a global pandemic that’s killed over 1.1 million people worldwide, the internet is calling the SKIMS owner out for being insensitive and tone-deaf.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a severe toll on the world leaving several authorities imposing tight restrictions discouraging travel and large social gatherings. Even as people avoid meeting their loved ones, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians celeb’s lavish get-together comes as a blow to the gut. Taking the rising toll of the calamity, coupled with a divisive election into account, most celebrities have shied away from the spotlight and seemingly have toned down their occasional celebrations. But with Kim coming directly under their radar, netizens lost no time in retweeting her post with snarky replies and memes. Many of them compared her to Marie Antoinette, the infamous French queen who was known for her excessive splurging, even as her subjects suffered. The last queen of France before the French Revolution, she’s famously associated with the phrase "Let them eat cake," that she probably never uttered. But the famous phrase did intend to demonstrate how out-of-touch and careless the aristocrats were during a time of great poverty and hunger.
A Twitter user wrote, “Apparently, Kim K is going as Marie Antoinette for Halloween. Don’t worry, she’s 'humbly aware' of the privilege she flaunts,” and another one mentioned, “I feel like someone needs to read up on what happened to Marie Antoinette. Let them eat cake, amiright, Kim?” Although Kim did say in another photo that that that she is humbly reminded how privileged her life is, people didn't seem to be buying it. As a reply to Kim saying that she “watched a movie on the beach,” a fan has quote tweeted, “Hi Kim, I have a recommendation for another movie you can watch on the beach - ‘Marie Antoinette’ :)” As another Twitter user simply explains, “Kim Kardashian is Marie Antoinette. Like what would possess you to brag about your trip when people can't afford that normally but during a PANDEMIC.”
Interestingly this isn’t the first time that the Kardashian sister is getting compared to the callous queen. Back in 2018, it was Kim’s husband rap mogul Kanye West himself who had referred to his entrepreneur wife as “a Marie Antoinette of our time.” While it isn’t known why Mr. West saw Kim as “as a representation” of Madame Deficit in the interview with his interior designer Axel Vervoordt in THR, it could have been a precursor to the comparisons today.
There were also a few ardent fans who defended her by saying that Kim can spend her money any way she pleases to, but the general sentiment was that her post was in bad taste. It wasn't just regular folks who were complaining; even other celebrities expressed a piece of their mind. These included actors Tom Payne and Colin Hanks among others. Regardless, while Kim Kardashian's birthday bash got its backlash, she did get the whole world talking about her. Thus proving that when it comes to popularity, this Keeping Up With The Kardashians star can have the cake and eat it too!
Source: @hapa_hawaiian, @gizellie, @luxxybee, @raavakhaleesi, @colinhanks, THR, Kim Kardashian/Instagram