The Kardashian-Jenner clan has been known to make headlines for their ostentatious lifestyle or for the trends they set, but they also find themselves at the center of controversies sometimes, the latest of which is Kim Kardashian’s line of shapewear.
The product claims to help women find the right style to match different outfits, and comes in varying shades of nude colors with sizes ranging from XXS to 4XL – in short, it screams equality. So what’s the problem?
What’s with the Name?
The influential family are not just reality stars but most of them are successful entrepreneurs and businesswomen too.
The youngest of the bunch, Kylie, has her amazing cosmetics brand; Kourtney recently launched her lifestyle website Poosh; and Khloe’s Good American Jeans is going stronger than ever.
So what’s the big deal with Kim’s newest investment? The shapewear line is called Kimono – and the name itself has received a lot of criticism of late.
Kimono was actually born out of Kim’s own experience, probably because she is known to wear high-slit gowns and dresses.
We all know how hard it is to find the right shapewear, especially when you’re sporting an outfit that is figure-hugging or too revealing.
While normally, you would have to improvise in this situation, Kim’s solution to the problem certainly does hold a lot of merit.
Disrespectful
Kimono is a traditional Japanese garment usually worn in formal gatherings and which means “something to wear.”
Even though it is unclear why Kim chose that name for her new venture, many assume it was chosen as it is a rendition of her own name; kim-ono.
According to the website, the shapewear and the name had been in the works for 15 years, but it seems no matter how long it took for the mother of four to conceptualize her brainchild or how good the products are, the idea was trampled by thousands of critics.
Some people saw the 38-year-old’s decision as disrespectful to the Japanese culture, while others went as far as to accusing Kim of cultural appropriation.
Japanese-American actress Tamlyn Tomita voiced out her disgust over the reality star’s choice by uploading a composite photo of the socialite in shapewear and Japanese women clad in kimonos, seemingly to outline the contrasting appearance of the two styles.
The #KimOhNo was soon trending on social media with speculation spreading like wildfire. Things escalated quickly when, amid the public’s call to rename the brand, reports on Kim’s decision to trademark Kimono and other variations surfaced.
Kim however, stood by her decision, stating that she won’t change it because her purpose was not to create or design clothing that would look like any other traditional garment.
Give Up
Following this announcement, criticism and backlash reached an all-time high with unanimous support in favor of renaming the product.
Though nothing specific has been said about this matter since, a few days later, Kim announced that she will be changing the name of her “one” of her businesses, which she said was all about inclusivity and diversity- a decision made after “careful thought and consideration.”