Khloe Kardashian stated on an Instagram post, “My body, my image and how I choose to look and what I want to share is my choice. It‘s not for anyone to decide or judge what is acceptable or not anymore”. This came after an unedited swimsuit photo was accidentally posted online and the public became aware of her and her team trying to take the photo off the internet completely. 

According to Libby Torres, an entertainment reporter for Insider, the photo consists of Kardashian in a bikini and standing near a pool. The accidental post has been of high interest because it “appeared free of any airbrushing or photo-editing techniques,” wrote Torres. 

The 36-year-old media personality has a whopping 136 million followers on Instagram and 29.3 million followers on Twitter. It appears all platforms have commented on the unedited photo. Before Kardashian came out with a statement on Instagram, it was understood among most people that the Kardashian’s team was attempting to remove the photo from the internet and that legal action threats were taking place. “Khloe looks beautiful but it is within the right of the copyright owner to not want an image not intended to be published taken down,” said Chief marketing office for KKW Brands, Tracy Romulus to Page Six. 

Kardashians photo circulating the internet is an example of copyright infringement. According to the U.S. Copyright Office, copyright infringement is “when a copyrighted work is reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without the permission of the copyright owner.” If legal action does take place, some penalties can include going to court, jail, or paying the number of damages and profit that could range from $200 to $150,000.

A great number of people saw Kardashian taking legal action to take the photo down as a negative move for body positivity. As much as some could agree on social media that Kardashian looked beautiful unedited, they were also very upset that she was wanting to take the photo down and to keep up with the unrealistic ideology of a woman’s body. Kardashian took to Instagram Live and showed her audience the hard work she put into her body and revealed the upper half of her body, which appeared exactly like her previous posts of her body. This was a provoking move in itself but the message that followed it spoke even louder. 

In her statement, Kardashian shares with Instagram and Twitter that she has struggled with her body image and recounts public judgment by listing examples of negative comments made about her appearance. She continued, not asking for sympathy, but to be acknowledged for just being human by the public. Kardashian did confirm lighting, filters, and edits are incorporated into her photos but that such things are similar to doing one’s makeup, getting their nails done, or even wearing heels. 

Not to say males cannot be affected by the unrealistic ideologies that are perpetuated throughout our society, however, the young, female consumers on social media are vulnerable to being impacted by unrealistic images that are posted among all platforms. With that being said, body positivity is extremely important to bring up in moments like Kardashians. Though society, especially the marketing world, has made some progress to include more diverse subjects of all sizes and races, there is always more room for improvement. Celebrities can and should incorporate themselves into the conversation on body positivity, like Kardashian. Millions of people are subject to a celebrity post, and because of that, celebrities can bring more awareness of the insecurities some may deal with and build a community that can promote body positivity. 

Though it may be nice to see more photos of celebrities in a more “natural state” like the accidental Instagram post of Kardashian, the public also needs to understand that celebrities are human too. Celebrities have normal needs, similar to those who are non-famous, such as not wanting a photo posted because it simply is not how they want to physically appear in the world and can negatively affect their confidence. Social media is a platform for expression, and people, celebrities or not, should feel safe enough to be able to express themselves however they feel comfortable doing so.