Self-Objectification Versus Empowerment

Kim Kardashian’s sexualized body is not new to people who participate in American culture. It’s around. How helpful that is to the feminist cause, and which feminist cause, remains to be seen. So when she posted a nude photo to her Instagram a couple of weeks ago, it was both a shock and not at all surprising that some shit went down.

A divide formed – those for Kim’s sex positive proclamation of empowerment and those against Kim’s objectifying snag to the feminist agenda. As a feminist determined to get it right for fear of stunting the cause, I was hesitant to choose a side. My news feed argued for Kim, claiming that those against her should stop slut-shaming. But some part of me felt weird about committing to that side of this issue. Though I support women having control over their bodies, something was making me feel uneasy about this example.

So, that’s what brought about the first episode of Pillow Talk. I invited one of my best ladies, Helena Farhi, to come hang with me in my bed and discuss Self-Objectification Versus Empowerment.

You can download the episode on iTunes or listen to it on Sound Cloud here.

Below are the sources discussed throughout the podcast both to convince you to listen (because we are great at examples) and also for your reference!

“This Is Not A Feminist Song” from SNL
A beautiful representation of how difficult it is to navigate the feminist landscape but how important it is to get it right

Pirelli Calendar
Amy Schumer’s Idea of a Nude Photo