by Carly McDevitt
No surprise: The Kardashian/Jenner family is in the spotlight again. But they have reached a new level of distaste by disrespecting the disabled.
No surprise: The Kardashian/Jenner family is in the spotlight again. But they have reached a new level of distaste by disrespecting the disabled.
Kylie Jenner, 18, has received backlash in the media for her feature in the December issue of the fashion magazine Interview. Jenner was pictured in bizarre poses: as a waitress with her behind exposed, in a box wearing a bikini and, most shockingly, posing as a sex doll in a wheelchair.
This last picture immediately stirred controversy. While fashion has always been eccentric and bold, posing in Tableaux Vivants bodysuit, collar and Dior shoes in a wheelchair certainly does not fall under either category. It’s startling to see that this was considered fashionable; modeling with a faux disability is inappropriate for the cover of a magazine.
Interview magazine defended its work by stating that the photoshoot was thematically driven and that Jenner was placed “in a variety of positions of power and control” to explore “her image as an object of vast media scrutiny,” according to E! News.
However, people aren’t buying it. Erin Tatum, a woman with cerebral palsy, took a photo modeled after Jenner’s which went viral. She wrote on her Tumblr page: “I can barely get people to make eye contact with me, let alone land a cover shoot. If being in a wheelchair is trendy now, I’ve apparently been a trendsetter since before Kylie was born.”
The backlash Jenner’s cover received offers a glimmer of hope. This is giving Americans the opportunity to address the stereotypes experienced by people in wheelchairs. If Kylie Jenner wants to dress like a sex doll, she has that right. But to pose like a disabled individual in the name of fashion and fame is downright disgusting.
This last picture immediately stirred controversy. While fashion has always been eccentric and bold, posing in Tableaux Vivants bodysuit, collar and Dior shoes in a wheelchair certainly does not fall under either category. It’s startling to see that this was considered fashionable; modeling with a faux disability is inappropriate for the cover of a magazine.
Interview magazine defended its work by stating that the photoshoot was thematically driven and that Jenner was placed “in a variety of positions of power and control” to explore “her image as an object of vast media scrutiny,” according to E! News.
However, people aren’t buying it. Erin Tatum, a woman with cerebral palsy, took a photo modeled after Jenner’s which went viral. She wrote on her Tumblr page: “I can barely get people to make eye contact with me, let alone land a cover shoot. If being in a wheelchair is trendy now, I’ve apparently been a trendsetter since before Kylie was born.”
The backlash Jenner’s cover received offers a glimmer of hope. This is giving Americans the opportunity to address the stereotypes experienced by people in wheelchairs. If Kylie Jenner wants to dress like a sex doll, she has that right. But to pose like a disabled individual in the name of fashion and fame is downright disgusting.