Kim Kardashian's essay on International Women's Day was ... awesome, actually.
The reality star makes an excellent point about body-shaming.
Chances are, you feel some sort of way about Kim Kardashian.
She's built a career on snapping selfies, starring in reality TV, and blanketing the home pages of tabloid websites. She's not everyone's cup of tea, and hey — that's perfectly fine.
Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.
But even if you're not a fan, you should probably read the open letter she published March 7, 2016, on her website in honor of International Women's Day.
Because the essay makes some excellent points about how we view women and their bodies — especially given the news surrounding her social media presence.
If you haven't heard, Kardashian posted a nude selfie to her Instagram account.
And the photo caused quite the (unfortunate) stir.
Many people on social media — including celebrities like Piers Morgan, Bette Midler, and Chloë Grace Moretz — decided to chime in on the image to let Kardashian know they were not thrilled. And all it takes is one glance at the more than 341,000 comments left on the photo to spot the consistent theme of many of the criticisms directed at Kardashian because of her decision to share a nude photo:
Slut-shaming. It's alive and well on the Internet, folks.
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images.
Degrading Kardashian for choosing to share an image of her own body is sort of messed up. Why? "Embarrassing, insulting or otherwise denigrating a girl or woman for her real or extrapolated sexual behavior" is never good for any woman, as writer Soraya Chemaly once put it. And that includes Kim K.
It's an issue the reality star took head on in her essay.
Kardashian defended her decision to share the photo, saying that for her, her body is a source of strength and empowerment.
"I am empowered by my body," she wrote.
"I am empowered by my sexuality. I am empowered by feeling comfortable in my skin. I am empowered by showing the world my flaws and not being afraid of what anyone is going to say about me. And I hope that through this platform I have been given, I can encourage the same empowerment for girls and women all over the world."
"I feel so lucky to have grown up surrounded by strong, driven, independent women. The life lessons I’ve learned from my sisters, my mother, and my grandmother, I will pass along to my daughter. I want her to be proud of who she is. I want her to be comfortable in her body. I don’t want her to grow up in a world where she is made to feel less-than for embracing everything it means to be a woman."
"It’s 2016," Kardashian concluded. "The body-shaming and slut-shaming — it’s like, enough is enough. I will not live my life dictated by the issues you have with my sexuality. You be you and let me be me."
Kardashian closed the letter with the hashtag #HappyInternationalWomensDay.
You can read it in its entirety on her website.
Fortunately, plenty of stars stood by Kardashian's decision to do whatever she wants with her body (and Instagram account).
Like Abigail Breslin, who ran to Kardashian's defense.
And actor and model Emily Ratajkowski, who said it like it is.
"Modern Family" star Ariel Winter pointed out a hard truth.
And model Chrissy Teigen cracked a joke about the whole situation in support of her friend.
Actor (and all around amazing human) Rowan Blanchard also stood up for the reality star.
"Why are feminists mad at Kim K [for] consensually posting a pic of her own body," Blanchard tweeted, noting that women should use the power of the selfie in whatever way they choose. “Nonconsensual nudes of women are leaked all the time by abusers and [you] are mad at a woman being proud of and happy with her own body?"
Slut-shaming harms girls and women in many ways. And Kardashian deserves a thumbs up for getting it right this time around.
Slut-shaming hinders gender equality in many ways — even when it's subtle. It sets double standards between men and women when it comes to sexual liberation (because who wants to be that girl, who's known for sleeping with half the class?). It contributes to rape culture (because if a girl was asking for it by the way she dresses, then it's sort of her fault, too, huh?). And it welcomes adolescence bullying (because it's OK to judge the girl who wears too much makeup or wears the wrong clothes, right?).
Kardashian is by no means the perfect feminist (and really, no one is), and she's definitely not always on the right side of the body-positivity train (her comments about her brother's weight gain, for example). But this time, she really put the patriarchy in its place.
GIF via "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."
Millennial mom struggles to organize her son's room.Image via Canva/fotostorm
Boomer grandparents have a video call with grandkids.Image via Canva/Tima Miroshnichenko
Information from the NICABM website regarding the "Window of Tolerance."Photo Credit: The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine 
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Gen Xers and Millennials share 17 of the strangest things their Baby Boomer parents do
"My mom writes her emails in MS Word, then attaches the Word document to the email."
A Baby Boomer couple.
Generational fights have raged since the dawn of time, and a recent spat between Millennials and Baby Boomers is no exception. Baby Boomers, who raised Millennials, accuse the younger generation of being entitled and irresponsible with money. At the same time, Millennials accuse Boomers of having it easier economically while making it harder for those who came after them.
Where is Gen X in the battle? Probably off in the corner somewhere, saying, "Whatever." Aside from the generational sniping, there are some things the older generation does that are just plain baffling to younger people. Whether it's outdated worldviews, a refusal to adapt to modern technology, or a lack of self-awareness, Baby Boomers can do some strange things.
To help the younger folks get over their frustrations with parents from the "Me Generation," a Redditor asked: "What is the most Boomer thing your parents still do?" The stories were pretty funny and relatable, showing that almost everyone with parents over 60 is dealing with the same thing.
Here are 17 of the "strangest" things people's Baby Boomer parents do:
1. Phones on full blast
"Play iPhone slot machine games at full volume in the doctor’s office."
"My dad pretty much exclusively has his phone on speaker, and just walks around in public talking with it at max volume (and talking really loud himself). I’m like 'Dad, the entire supermarket doesn’t want to listen to you, and Uncle Jim complains about how often you have to pee.'"
2. Still using checkbooks
"My mom balances her checkbook every week. They still have a landline."
"And she probably has way more money than you will until she dies!"
3. Email issues
"My mom writes her emails in MS Word, then attaches the Word document to the email."
"Like the email is just the virtual envelope for the digital letter."
4. Restaurant jokes
"All those little restaurant comments.
'Wow, they'll let anyone in here!' when seeing a friend at said restaurant.
'Thanks for having us, not everyone will' to the waiter at the end of the meal.
'As you can see, it was terrible' when the staff takes away the clearly entirely eaten plate.
'You're going to have me floating away in a minute' when more water is put into their glass"
5. Always have to mention race
"Constantly mentioning the race or ethnicity of everyone she mentions. Never with any negative connotation or comment, but usually, there is no reason for it to be relevant to the conversation."
"My Jewish mother will always whisper the word 'black' in case anyone hears her: 'So the nice black man at the hardware store helped me find the right garden hose.'"
6. Googling their Google
"Typing Google on Google before they Google the thing they’re looking for."
"In the Google search bar, they type Google? Lol."
7. Getting a job is a cinch
"Believing you can walk into a business and hand in a resume. If you have a college degree in any field, they'll hire you."
"Just physically hand over your resume to HR or the hiring manager. You'll make a mark and get hired!! Call the office and ask to speak to HR/Hiring Manager."
Any Millennial who argued with their Boomer parents about how hard it is to land a good job should feel vindicated by a 2022 study, which found that most older Millennials didn't secure good jobs until their early 30s, while most Boomers did so in their 20s. "To secure a good job, young adults need to acquire more education and high-quality work experience than was necessary for previous generations," the researchers wrote.
8. Why are they together?
"Stay married forever while they behave like neither one of them can stand each other."
"I'm on the other side of that. After my mom passed, my dad now acts like their marriage was picture perfect and they were the love of each other's lives, even though they couldn't stand each other for at the very least 40 of the 54 years they were married."
9. Collectables or hoarding?
"Think their 'collectibles' are truly valuable."
"My mom insists her Hummels are going to put my kids through college!"
"Mine are the Thomas Kincade paintings. She has a Victorian glass piece that might actually be worth something, but those damn paintings are the real investment."
10. Can you grab the mail?
"Ask me to bring in the mail when they go away for more than 24 hours."
"My parents think everybody is standing at the door waiting for the mailman every day, and don’t believe me when I tell them that some people go days without checking their mail. They think everybody is waiting for the mailman every day because 'somebody might send them a check.' Like, really?"
11. Zero responsibility
"'Well, I guess I was just a bad father.' Yeah. That attitude of anti-responsibility is exactly why 3 out of 4 of your children don't talk to you."
"Ha! Have the same dad, do we?"
12. Comment on people's appearance
"Comment on EVERYBODY’s body/appearance/weight. The first thing my dad does after not seeing me for a year is poke me in the gut and tell me how fat I am."
13. Boomer panic is real
"Literally throwing their hands up in a panic when they don't understand something. Where did they learn that?"
"Or just saying 'well, I don't know', especially when that comes right after you explaining it and showing them how to do something, with them nodding along and asking relevant questions all the way through."
In a video by YourTango, editor Brian Sundholm tried to explain Boomer panic in an empathetic way: "Most of us nowadays know the importance of recognizing and feeling our emotions." Sundholm then quoted therapist Mitzi Bachman, who explained that when people struggle to express their emotions, it can result in an "unhinged" reaction.
14. Annoying Facebook posts
"Post nonsensical rants on Facebook for other boomers to like, share, and comment. Often these rants are political, but not always. Basically cringe-fest."
"Most people won't do it, but share this post if you believe in god and freedom."
"I do NOT give Facebook permission to use my photos and personal information!"
15. Dinner pushers
"While we're eating breakfast. What do you want to do for supper?"
"Can't we enjoy this meal without worrying about the next?"
16. They print everything
"My boomer in-laws print EVERYTHING! The number of times I have said, 'quit wasting ink, email it to me, or text me the link. Or just text me the schedule, don't print it out.' GPS on their phones? Nope...print a map."
"Boomers and their paper man. My dad has finally started using the internet, but he still prints everything he likes. Like he'll see a boat listing on Craigslist and print the entire page, including a massive color photo of it, and he's definitely not going to be buying it either. He's got a stack of papers that is the internet that sits by his recliner. He just sits there with Fox News on (though it's usually muted for some reason, that's a plus) and looks at his papers."
17. Flirting with servers
"My dad is 77 still flirts with the young waitresses. It's f**king weird for everyone."
"He thinks he is in cute old man territory, but he is not."