On a recent episode of the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kim Kardashian West was told by her mother Kris Jenner that they had to “make do” (with Kim’s early bookings) because Kim couldn’t sing or dance. The undertone was: “We made the most out of the assets and talents you did have.”
This little scene would lend credence to the rumors that Kris, a talent manager and lawyer by trade, purposefully released the sex tape that launched Kim’s career of fame for being famous. But that particular conspiracy theory isn’t as important as what the Kardashian Klan has grown, all based on sex and beauty. Millions, people. $$$$$$$$s. (<-that’s pronounced mee-YO-nezz)
Wait, scratch that. It’s probably Bee-YO-nezz by now.
Lots of hate arises, of course. Any woman who uses any sexual image to earn money is immediately loathed. But, come to think of it, many female writers are loathed on the regular. Dorothy Parker and Virginia Woolf used their wits, yet were still hated on. This is a no-win endeavor.
This topic grew into conversations with some friends online. It’s a sore point for many. PhDs are needed to sort out all the implications. I’m trying to figure it out myself. Traditionally I haven’t used my body’s image to “sell” anything.
Lately I’ve been wondering if I’m doing it wrong.
This isn’t to say I’ll be posting nudes any time soon. I’m not interested in that. But, I am asking myself, why am I not turning the camera toward my own physical vessel? What am I saying by intentionally editing out all images of my body/parts from the internet?
Another thought: Nancy Pelosi once mentioned that all the hubbub around her clothes didn’t bother her at all. She said that if her clothes are what get young girls interested in politics, then so be it. There’s some kind of wisdom in there… I’m not sure I know what it is.
Wait, scratch that. I know what it is. It’s Kris Jenner’s “making do.” I’m simply afraid of the backlash I’ll get for adopting the sentiment. So, this, too, is a no-win endeavor. Perhaps the same exact one. 
My friend is a well-known blogger who often posts her smiling, BEAUTIFUL face on social media. Her eyes, especially, are to die for, her skin running a close second. I enjoy seeing her in my streams. Granted, she’s not posting sexy, provocative pics (she could definitely leverage that cleavage), but she’s posting selfies. Her friend is an artist who shoots nude self-portraits in abandoned buildings, resulting in art that conveys multiple layers of devastating meaning.
If my Instagram selfies get readers interested in my work, then are the images are serving a (good) purpose? I must balance a fine line, of course. After all, I’m a professional WRITER, not model. I’m not doing MILF nudies for a living (don’t suggest it – I’ve already heard it more than once… NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH MILF PRON). Too much sexiness may interrupt the image I’m trying to cultivate with my presence online: capable writer, industrious thinker, keen strategist.
Wait, scratch that. Perhaps a little more leg would make me seem like a keen strategist, after all.
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Find me on Instagram as @PurpleCar_cc (the bastards wouldn’t let me recover my original PurpleCar account). My recent selfies are the photos you see in this blog post.