You can tell a lot about a person by how they view Kim Kardashian. Some worship the very ground she walks on, while others write her off as just being famous because of a sex tape.

Other celebrities are no different in their feelings toward the reality television star. During a radio interview last week, Australian comedian and actress, Rebel Wilson, best known for her role in Pitch Perfect, shamed Kardashian for her sex tape and argued that her rise to fame is undeserved.

“Kim got famous from the sex tape and I just went to acting school and worked really hard,” Wilson shared in the interview, stating that the Kardashian family lacks talent.

Wilson’s sentiments toward Kardashian hint at sexist ideas that she is not only defined by her sexual past, but is unworthy of respect. This is yet another example of internalized misogyny in which women tear down one another on the basis of their sexual choices — failing to realize that it should not really affect them, or anyone else for that matter.

While Kardashian did become a household name after the sex tape, many people do not know that she bought the rights to it. This enabled her to maintain the upper hand and have a sense of control in a situation in which she was exploited, considering her ex-boyfriend Ray J released the tape without her consent, according to People magazine.

The media’s obsession with bringing up the tape continues to associate Kardashian with the stigma of being somehow less deserving of respect. These sexualized perceptions also come at the expense of her family and are projected onto her 2-year-old daughter, North West.

Billboard tweeted a paparazzi shot on Oct. 29 of North West with her mouth open, licking a lollipop and being held by her mother. The caption for the photo was: “The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.”

Whether intentional or not, there are clear sexual innuendos to the juxtaposition of the photo and the quote, which could be interpreted as subtly referencing Kardashian’s sex tape.

Many people responded to Billboard with backlash, retweeting it and calling it out on its perceived pedophilic tweet. Billboard immediately apologized, explaining the reasoning behind that caption was in reference to a video of North West mumbling “I said no pictures” to the paparazzi.

But what people must realize is that ideas about North really stem from feelings about Kardashian. North will grow up being the daughter of a celebrity who is frequently defined by her sexual choices.

Even if the media never portrays this, people can control how they judge one another and learn how to respect women as holistic people and not just bodies.

Kardashian, by definition, is an entrepreneur. She has spearheaded a perfume line, an online shoe store and jointly owns a fashion line with her sisters. She also runs a mobile game app and manages her brand, from public appearances to her television show, in addition to other ventures. Despite her efforts to use her creativity and eye for fashion, many people still dismiss her achievements due to the sex tape leaked eight years ago.

Kardashian is entitled to have her ambitions realized by the public. A shift to separate women as individuals from their sexuality would be a progressive move in efforts for women to be remembered for their accomplishments and not their sex lives.

Elaina Crockett is a senior television, radio and film major and African American studies minor. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at ekcrocke@syr.edu.

Published on November 9, 2015 at 12:08 am