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'My choice': Khloe Kardashian breaks silence over viral bikini photo
Khloe Kardashian has broken her silence about a bikini photo that was published online 'by mistake', sharing a live video on her Instagram wearing nothing but a pair of nude bottoms to show her 'unphotoshopped' body.
The picture in question showed the reality stay seemingly unedited and unfiltered smiling poolside in Palm Springs, California. It was quickly taken down, but not before screenshots went viral on social media.
"This is me and my body unretouched and unfiltered," the 36-year-old wrote in a lengthy statement shared alongside a subsequent post with the video clips.
"The photo that was posted this week was beautiful. But as someone who has struggled with body image her whole life, when someone takes a photo of you that isn't flattering in bad lighting or doesn't capture your body the way it is after working to hard to get it to this point - and then shares it to the world - you should have every right to ask for it not to be shared - no matter who you are."
She said the "pressure, constant ridicule and judgment" on her body her entire life "has been too much to bear", before going on to detail some of the examples of remarks made about the way she looks, such as 'Khloé is the fat sister', 'Khloé is the ugly sister', 'Her dad must not be her real dad because she looks so different', 'The only way she could have lost that weight must have been from surgery'.
"You never quite get used to being judged and pulled apart and told how unattractive one is, but I will say if you hear anything enough then you will start to believe it," Khloe continued.
"This is how I have been conditioned to feel, that I am not beautiful enough just being me."
Khloe said that she uses filters and photo edits, the same way she wears makeup or gets her nails done, to "present myself to the world the way I want to be seen," adding that "it's exactly what I will continue to do unapologetically."
She concluded, "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 anymore."
The Kardashians were threatening legal action after the photo was posted "by mistake" on Instagram over the weekend.
Even some Twitter accounts that shared the image were suspended, facing legal threats if the photo was not removed.
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"The colour edited photo was taken of Khloé during a private family gathering and posted to social media without permission by mistake by an assistant," Tracy Romulus, chief marketing officer for KKW Brands, told Page Six in a statement.
"Khloé looks beautiful but it is within the right of the copyright owner to not want an image not intended to be published taken down."
The move from Team Kardashian left some on social media stunned, as many people praised how "beautiful" and "natural" Khloé looks in the image, which is not heavily edited like most KarJenner pics.
"We a Stan for the natural Khloe Kardashian," one fan said.
"Just wanted to say, that unedited picture of you that y'all tried so hard to take down and hide, it was fire. That was real and unedited fire. Your body looked great, your suit was cute, and your face was beautiful," another said.
There's since been a mixed reaction to Khloe's statement, with the TV personality getting plenty of support from fans across social media.
"Everyone's in DISBELIEF that Khloe is fiercely protective and unfathomably ashamed of how her body looks to the public as if y'all didn't spend YEARS emotionally torturing her for her 'real' body. This frantic legal action is her trauma response trying to protect her," one person wrote.
"I think Khloe looked great in the unedited photo of herself that leaked. I'm just disappointed in the way all of this has been handled. I get that she has dealt with a lot of scrutiny but does she not realise her edited photos have probably given other women the same complex," another said.
"It’s just sad to see. Khloe could’ve used this moment to be like 'yes, this is me, a mother, an entrepreneur, a gym rat, happy in my skin," another agreed.
Additional reporting by Taryn Ryder.
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