Kim Kardashian Posts Naked Selfie To Address Body Shaming

Is it news when Kim Kardashian posts a nude photo of herself? Well, this time…yes.

In the grand tradition of Demi Moore, Cindy Crawford, Christina Aguilera and a red carpet’s worth of other celebrities (ever think you’d see the day where Kim Kardashian is mentioned amongst those women?), America’s foremost selfie expert has posted a photo of herself nude while pregnant with her second child on her Instagram account.

An accompanying caption signals that this isn’t the normal #breaktheinternet cry for attention from the greatest hazard to the World Wide Web’s stability, but instead an act of body image empowerment, attacking those who have attacked her fluctuating weight while pregnant and even accused her of faking the pregnancy altogether.

The proof, Kardashian says, is in the baby bump.

As she writes, people have been dissecting photos of her that they perceived to be skinnier or fatter than others, coming to the conclusion that the inconsistencies in body size meant she was faking her pregnancy. (The perils of being among the most famous women in the world: the already offensive celebrity rumor mill spins even more despicably when you become pregnant. Right, Beyoncé?)

She addresses reports that she’s really using a surrogate and padding herself to make her look like she’s the one carrying the child. “I think you all know me well enough to know I would document the process if I got a surrogate,” she writes. This is the woman who published a book of 352 photos of herself. She has a point.

And give Kardashian credit where it’s due: No one is as skilled at using titillation as a means for legitimization. In this case, she’s using it as bait to say something actually important. Come for the booty shot, stay for the powerful message: “Everyone’s body is different, every pregnancy is different!” she writes. “I’ve learned to love my body at every stage! I’m going to get even bigger & that’s beautiful, too!”

Kardashian, much to the chagrin of many of society’s buttoned-up curmudgeons, is a person with many fans. Her reach is massive. These people, many of whom have felt shame about their own bodies while pregnant, might need to hear this. Maybe they’ll read this and smile. Maybe they’ll just look at her photo and admire a pregnant woman’s body—a radical act in and of itself.

Well done, Kim! Check out the image and caption below.