Kim Kardashian’s Slim-Thick Body More Harmful Than Ultra-Thin, Study Says

Unrealistically, the thin and slim images of media celebrities and models have widely been spreading in the cultural area across the world for decades which are causing massive harm to women’s bodies and their mental health.

A recent study, however, unveils that a new ideal woman’s body possibly will cause more harm than the ultra-thin “heroin chic” which was prominent in the 90s and we have Kim Kardashian, an American businesswoman, media personality, socialite and model, to thank for it.

Kim Kardashian earned media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, who is also a media personality in America. She was given a wider notice after the release of Kim Kardashian, a pornographic film, with her then-boyfriend Ray J in 2007.

Later in that year, Kardashian along with her family started to appear in a reality series in the E!, an entertainment and celebrity news channel in America.

And, her success immediately led to the form of the spin-off series Kim Take Miami in 2009–2013 and Kourtney and Kim Take New York in 2011–2012.

Kardashian has developed a social and online media presence. She has hundreds of millions of followers on her Twitter and Instagram. She has also released a variety of products including the 2014 mobile game Kim Kardashian under her name. 

A group of researchers at Toronto’s York University conducted a study to come to know how the pervasive images of the slim-thick ideal have become more popular in mainstream media by celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé, and Kylie Jenner emitting dissatisfaction among the young women over their bodies.

The study described as a curvier or more full-body type with a flat stomach, small waist, large butt, big breasts, and wide thighs and claimed to have found that the slim-thick physical structure is harmful to the way the young women are feeling about their bodies compared to the ultra-thin type of body.

“The thin-ideal body has been considered as a threat to women’s body image for a long time and there has been a call for body image movement and the media to showcase a larger variety of body types,” Sarah McComb, researcher of the team, has told Yahoo Canada recently.

“Although the slim-thick body types advertise a bigger frame, it is not a better option to the thin-ideal for media clients. It was more frightening to body images of the women,” said Sarah McComb.

Jennifer Mills and McComb, a registered clinical psychologist, surveyed the 402 women aged between 18 and 25 years, who are confirmed to be serious users of Instagram.

The partakers sighted a total of 13 photos of manipulators with different types of bodies including slim, thin, thick, and fit. You can also read more about Rihanna is Pregnant.

Both Mills and McComb equivocally said that they were simply surprised to learn that those who match themselves up to slim-thick-ideal images experienced considerably more weight and appearance dissatisfaction and less body satisfaction than those who compared themselves to thin-ideal images.

Whereas the thin-ideal body shape has long been considered the most desirable and attractive body type for women, at least in the mainstream media, the research proposes beauty ideals may be shifting.

The study also points to the Kardashian and Jenner clan and other celebrities and influencers who frequently share these kinds of images on their social media like Twitter, Instagram following the reason for the change.