Kim Kardashian Recalls ‘Traumatizing’ Tabloid Fat-Shaming After Watching ‘Framing Britney Spears’

Kim Kardashian has “finally” watched Framing Britney Spears, and it brought back some memories about her own treatment by tabloids during her first pregnancy.

“The way the media played a big role in her life the way it did can be very traumatizing and it can really break even the strongest person,” the 40-year-old reality star and entrepreneur wrote on Instagram stories on March 5. In particular, Kardashian recalled the way she was fat-shamed incessantly by the press while carrying her daughter North West in 2013. 

“I gained 60 lbs and delivered almost 6 weeks early and I cried every single day over what was happening to my body mainly from the pressures of being constantly compared to what society considered a healthy pregnant person should look like—as well as being compared to Shamu the Whale by the media,” Kardashian wrote in the four-slide-long statement before sharing over a dozen tabloid covers documenting her eating habits, “weight gain,” and even measuring her against Kate Middleton, who was also pregnant with Prince George at the time. 

“I’m sharing this just to say I really hope everyone involved in the business of shaming and bullying someone to the point of them breaking down might reconsider and instead try to show some understanding and compassion,” Kim Kardashian continued. You just never fully know what someone is going through behind the scenes and I’ve learned through my own experiences that it’s always better to lead with kindness.”

You can read her full statement below:

“So I finally watched the Britney Spears documentary this week and it made me feel a lot of empathy for her. The way the media played a big role in her life the way it did can be very traumatizing and it can really break even the strongest person. No matter how public someone’s life may seem, no one deserves to be treated with such cruelty or judgment for entertainment.

Looking back at my own experiences, I remember a time when I felt this way. hen i was pregnant with North I was suffering from preeclampsia, which made me swell uncontrollably. I gained 60 lbs and delivered almost 6 weeks early and I cried every single day over what was happening to my body mainly from the pressures of being constantly compared to what society considered a healthy pregnant person should look like — as well as being compared to Shamu the Whale by the media. Looking at all of the photos of myself online and in magazines made me so insecure and I had this fear of wondering if I ever would get my pre-baby body back. I was shamed on a weekly basis with cover stories that made my insecurities so painful I couldn’t leave the house for months after. It really broke me.

Luckily I was able to take these frustrating, embarrassing feelings and channel it into motivation to get me where I am today, but to say this didn’t take a toll on me mentally would be a lie. I’m sharing this just to say I really hope everyone involved in the business of shaming and bullying someone to the point of them breaking down might reconsider and instead try to show some understanding and compassion. You just never fully know what someone is going through behind the scenes and I’ve learned through my own experiences that it’s always better to lead with kindness.”