Kim Kardashian recently went from reality TV star to IRL Elle Woods, and this year, she helped to free 17 prisoners from jail in the space of just three months. But when it comes to funding her legal work – Kardashian is happy to use her lucrative Instagram profile as a money-making machine, no matter what she has to flog.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Kardashian said, “If I have a paid post that comes in and I think, ‘OK, well this can fund x amount of people that are behind bars, that can help free them with simple legal fees that they just can’t afford, then that would be worth it to me, even if the post might be a little off-brand for me.”
“I really weigh out different things now than I used to,” she said.
While it’s great to hear that Kardashian is using the profits from her paid Instagram posts to benefit those who have been incarcerated, it sounds like she’s happy to keep promoting potentially harmful products as long as it pays for her legal work.
Earlier this year, Instagram announced a new policy that would restrict users under the age of 18 from seeing content that promotes weight loss products or cosmetic procedures. It’s a policy that was backed by actress and activist Jameela Jamil and her organisation I Weigh.
Jamil has been campaigning for restrictions and removal of harmful content on Instagram for several years now. Over the course of the last few years, she has continuously called out Kim Kardashian, amongst other celebrities, for exploiting vulnerable users by promoting get-thin-quick weight loss products and procedures.
In the wake of the backlash earlier this year, Kardashian told The New York Times “you’re gonna get backlash for almost everything so long as you like it or believe in it or it’s worth it financially, whatever your decision may be, as long as you’re OK with that.”
There’s no denying that Kardashian is doing her best to focus on prison reform and use her power and platform to encourage positive change for those who have been incarcerated. However, funding those activities with the money earned from backing “off-brand” and controversial products on Instagram just because it’s “worth it financially” feels like it’s turning a blind eye an equally-as-relevant issue in your own backyard.