Khloe Kardashian Reacts to Controversy Surrounding Deleted Bikini Photo

Khloe Kardashian spoke out after a private photo of her in a bikini was wiped from the internet — read more

Her turn to respond. Khloé Kardashian spoke out after a viral photo of her in a bikini was wiped from the internet.

After a brief Instagram Live showing off her body, the 36-year-old shared a lengthy statement about the controversy on Wednesday, April 7.

“Hey guys, this is me and my body unretouched and unfiltered,” Kardashian began alongside clips from the Live and a nearly nude video in front of a mirror. “The photo that was posted this week was beautiful. But as someone who has struggled with body image her whole life, when someone takes a photo of you that isn’t flattering in bad lighting or doesn’t capture your body the way it is after working so hard to get it to this point — and then shares it to the world — you should have every right to ask for it not to be shared — no matter who you are.”

Kardashian went on to address the “pressure, constant ridicule and judgment” she’s experienced, citing specific examples: “‘Khloé is the fat sister.’ ‘Khloé is the ugly sister.’ ‘Her dad must not be her real dad because she looks so different.’ ‘The only way she could have lost that weight must have been from surgery.’ Should I go on?”

The E! personality added, “You never quite get used to being judged and pulled apart and told how unattractive one is, but I will say if you hear anything enough then you will start to believe it,” she added. “This is how I have been conditioned to feel, that I am not beautiful enough just being me.”

Kardashian also acknowledged that she loves “a good filter, good lighting and an edit here and there,” and she won’t apologize for her content. ”My body, my image and how I choose to look and what I want to share is my choice. It’s not for anyone to decide or judge what is acceptable anymore,” she concluded.

The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star made headlines earlier this month after a seemingly unretouched picture of her in a leopard bathing suit spread on social media. Tracy Romulus, the chief marketing officer of Kim Kardashian’s KKW Brands, subsequently addressed the photo’s disappearance from the internet.

“The color edited photo was taken of Khloé during a private family gathering and posted to social media without permission by mistake by an assistant,” Romulus told Page Six in a statement on Monday, April 5. “Khloé looks beautiful but it is within the right of the copyright owner to not want an image not intended to be published taken down.”

Khloé is no stranger to receiving hate for her changing look. “Khloé doesn’t care about the backlash she’s been getting from fans saying she doesn’t look like herself in her recent photos,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2020. “She thinks she looks great. And actually [she] does not care what people think as long as she’s happy.”

More recently, the Revenge Body host addressed how the negativity has affected her in March. “I don’t want anyone to kiss my ass. I’m not asking for that,” she wrote via TikTok. “But what I am asking for is for people to realize just what articles like this does to someone’s soul and confidence. I am so very grateful and appreciative of anyone who stands up to bullying or people writing story’s simply for clickbait. Defending someone, especially when we don’t know one another makes me heart happy. That’s the person I am. I like to defend what is right.”

A month prior, fans accused Khloé of a Photoshop fail in February when her feet and hands appeared disproportionate to the rest of her body in a Good American ad campaign. “I mean..LOL how could anyone believe this is the size of my feet?!” she tweeted at the time. “It’s the angle and the type of lens. And personally I think this camera lens is so f—king cool. It gives the photo a different vibe and not the same old visual I always see. Either way, I’m happy with them.”

She continued: “I can’t believe I’m even tweeting this LOL my old hands normal sized hands are still in tack [sic]. Nope I didn’t get a surgery to stretch my fingers and nope it’s not a ‘photoshop fail.’ Have a great day. … I absolutely love how my GA campaign turned out! … Hope the ‘concern and confusion’ is now put to rest and we can just enjoy the photos LOL this really made me laugh today. Thanks for the giggle. No lie.”

Khloé has also spoken out about her post-baby body. The reality star, who shares daughter True, 2, with boyfriend Tristan Thompson, embraced her stretch marks in January, posting an Instagram photo that showed them off in a black bikini while cropping out her face. She captioned the shot, “I love my stripes.”

Scroll through to see snaps from Kardashian’s Instagram Live: