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Kim Kardashian responds to backlash over her Skims maternity shapewear line
14 September 2020, 11:55
Chrissy Teigen defends Kim Kardashian's new Skims maternity shapewear line
Chrissy Teigen and Jameela Jamil have even waded in on the debate surrounding Kim's new Skims underwear and shapewear.
Kim Kardashian has responded to the criticism she has received for launching a line of maternity shapewear.
On Saturday (Sep 12), Kim announced that she would be releasing a new Skims range for expectant mothers on September 16, alongside a photo of pregnant models modelling her shapewear. "Introducing Maternity Solutionwear that offers the best in comfort and support for your changing body during and after pregnancy," she captioned the photo.
Alas, Kim didn't get the response she had hoped for. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star was met with backlash for implying that pregnant women need to be concerned about their growing bodies.
READ MORE: Why is Keeping Up With The Kardashians ending? All the possible reasons
And if women could also spend the postpartum period recovering physically and emotionally & enjoying their baby without the crippling weight of the urgency to “bounce back.” https://t.co/McqcRtRejS
— chelsea (@chelseadeanne) September 13, 2020
Actress and body positivity activist Jameela Jamil, who has called out the Kardashian family on several occasions before, even waded in on the whole debacle on Instagram. She wrote: "I wish we could just normalize just focusing on the inside of a pregnant body, not the outside. You don’t need your shape corrected or hidden. You don’t need an even more awkward obstacle between you and a piss. You just need to try and ride with this miracle and do your best to be as happy/comfortable as is possible within your circumstances. Pregnancy is hard enough, with enough worries already.
"And if you feel self conscious, you are not the problem, who can blame any of us for feeling bad, our society has failed us immensely, and we as a collective need to put more energy into pushing back against this so we can just let a bitch live!
"If I ever have a baby I’m welcoming the stretch marks, the new curves and I’m sure as shit not gonna rush to try and snap back, I’m just gonna let my body heal from the Massive event that has occurred inside my body. And look if you’re just doing it for support then great! but for the many I saw saying they need it to look less fat during pregnancy... you look fucking GREAT as you are!"
Jameela has since clarified her initial comments insisting that her message wasn't attacking Kim, it was merely a conversation about the shaming of pregnant bodies.
Kim has now addressed the backlash on in a statement shared on both Instagram and Twitter. "To anyone who has an issue with maternity solutionwear, and if you haven’t been pregnant before you may not know the struggle of what it’s like carrying all of this weight the way I did along with millions of strong women, @skims maternity line is not to slim but to support," she explained.
"The belly part doesn’t slim your belly, it’s actually sheer and a thinner layered material compared to the rest of the garment. It provides support to help with the uncomfortable weight being carried in your stomach which affects your lower back and the compression on the leggings helps with pain relief caused by swelling. It is also worn after you have given birth and provides the comfort and support that most women need after delivery especially if you are recovering from a cesarean.
"We launched this category in response to the tens of thousands of pregnant women who wrote us requesting it and because it was something I personally needed when I was pregnant myself. Based on the majority of positive feedback we have received so far from pregnant women around the world, I am incredibly proud to provide a solution that will provide comfort and support during the times that we all need it most, during pregnancy and after."
Kim's friend, model Chrissy Teigen, who is currently expecting her third child with husband John Legend, also took to Instagram to defend Kim whilst modelling her shapewear. "Basically the reason I love pregnancy shapewear is because it stops all the folds of my vagina and stomach from eating any other type of underwear," she said.
"When you're pregnant and you're sitting down a lot or on bed-rest like me, you tend to just sit there and if you're wearing regular basic underwear all it does is roll inside of folds I didn't know I had and it doesn't even look like I have underwear on."
She continued: "We're not trying to do anything to trick you, we're pregnant. We would just like to feel good about ourselves in a time when mentally it can be really challenging. What's the big deal?"