IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK: Kardashian Khaos – the tale of the unedited photo
Hate them or love them, the Kardashians klan seems to kreep into our lives every few weeks. Whether it’s a racy outfit, billionaire status announcement, new product launch or just a plain old scandal…Kris Jenner must have loads of PR stunts up her sleeve.
All jokes aside, we’ve all seen the unedited photo that surfaced online this week of the youngest Kardashian sister, Khloe. While she is within her right, as any individual is, to want a photo of herself viewed personally as unflattering to be taken offline – it has caused quite a stir online with many saying it could have been an opportunity for her to empower women. While I somewhat agree with the missed positive PR opportunity, from an influencer management and public relations perspective I’m more concerned about the clear lack of transparency in her public profile and persona.
Yes we are all guilty of showing a highlight reel on our Instagram pages, but it’s never been clearer than it is now that people LOVE authenticity from social media influencers. Whether it be images showcasing cellulite, stretch marks and pimples, or videos showing the BTS of someone’s beautifully clean kitchen revealing a mountain of washing, kid’s toys everywhere and a screaming baby. People love to be able to relate to their favourite influencers and celebrities, so while I understand the want to only portray a certain image of yourself online – wouldn’t it be a lot less effort and stress if you were the same person online as in person?
A message from a Sydney PR agency to Khloe Kardashian: save the energy explaining and defending yourself, why not just embrace reality (ironic…) and your life will get so much easier.
Missed PR opportunity aside, at the end of the day it’s just another reminder for people that you can have it all – fortune, fame and family – and still be unhappy with how you look in a photo #realitycheck.
By Rachel Demarco, PR/Marketing Manager