It used to be that the parents of a daughter had only one job: Raise her to be a confident, independent woman with a strong sense of self.
Times have changed. As the mother of a 7-year-old girl, I am keenly aware that the many lines once drawn in the sand have been erased. Now, with the release of the infamous Kim Kardashian booty (and more) shots, I am left wondering: Are there any lines left?
I’ve never had a strong opinion of Kim K. The few times I’ve caught her show she seemed very pretty, a little vapid, and the least interesting of the clan. The most interesting thing about her is that she has been able to take what once was considered scandalous and parlay it into the highest level of fame and a seemingly endless supply of opportunities and paychecks.
With a small amount of post-sex-tape notoriety, she capitalized on her “assets” and built an empire. She has 25 million twitter followers (5 million more than CNN Breaking News) and is the holder of the third most popular Instagram account.
But knowing all that, I was still surprised when I googled her latest photo shoot and saw the full frontal shot. I couldn’t help but mutter, “Really?” She has enough money; her baby’s already got shoes. She is insanely famous. Does she really need to court more attention?
I’ve never thought of myself as prudish. As a divorced woman of almost 40, there’s not a lot that makes me blush. But I like to think that I also have a healthy dose of dignity and shame. The very last thing I ever want would be for my parents – or my daughter – to see my slathered and naked body on display for the world.
So I’m perplexed by Kim. I admire that she has built a business, is financially savvy, and employs many people. Her lack of the typical social hangups and her ability to sell what she has intrigues me. And she has never apologized for who she is, pretended to be anything else, or tried to forge a more substantial road for herself. I applaud her lack of pretense.
Still, I don’t get it. What it is that makes a 34-year-old married mother strip down for the world to see? It’s possible that any sense of dignity evaporated when the world saw her sex tape. It’s possible that the last shred of shame she had disappeared when her own mother capitalized on her daughters’ indignity and showed the world that there was nothing she, and they, would not sell.
I hope to raise my daughter to have confidence and a sense of self, enough so she will understand that success is possible and with some hard work and luck she can achieve the goals she sets for herself. But I also hope to raise her with a sense of personal boundaries. At the very least, may she know that, in a world where seemingly anything goes, you don’t have to give it all away.