Kim Kardashian is in no way shape or form an idiot. It doesn’t matter if her vocal fry drives you up a wall, or if her crying face makes you irrationally angry. Whether you like her or not, you have to admit she’s built a business empire and a brand that are unstoppable.
But she can’t always hit the mark, and sometimes she can just be delusional with privilege, which is exactly what Kim appeared to be when she spoke to Variety about her terrible “advice” for women in business.
“I have the best advice for women in business,” Kim Kardashian says. “Get your f–king ass up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days.”
As the owner of several businesses, Kim could have taken the opportunity to disperse some great advice. Instead, she deluded herself into thinking that it is simply a matter of will as if her rich upbringing and limitless access isn’t a factor in her success at all.
She also seems to be either ignoring or forgetting the global pandemic that has brought millions of working moms to their knees over the past two years — just trying to survive the day, let alone be a girl boss.
She went on to proclaim that this also that it was essential to get yourself out of toxic work environments and to surround yourself with people who want to work as well. This is actually great advice. But unfortunately according to internet sleuths, it was quickly disproven that Kim and her mogul family likely do not facilitate a positive environment.
As cited by one Twitter user Jenner Communications, Kris’ company, was offering unpaid internships for a part-time errand runners. Details required them to go “gift wrapping” and to have their own car to use. The most they offered was college credit. Exactly what isn’t toxic about that?
Truly if this was 1607 this situation would be closer to indentured servitude than a propelling career opportunity.
Kim’s mentality is one we are no stranger to, especially in 2022. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have all heard the line that “no one wants to work anymore” and that places are experiencing a “labor shortage.” When in reality, it isn’t lazy people banking on the government checks and skipping the application process. It essentially boils down to employers providing livable wages.
As this Twitter user so elegantly put it:
According to the US Census “women-owned firms made up only 19.9% of all firms that employed people in the United States in 2018.” And while that was an increase from 2017, after the pandemic, women suffered the greatest job losses to care for their family. The lack of equal pay (leaving many heterosexually partnered women to step back from jobs in favor of their higher paid husband’s salary) and the lack of childcare has put women at a crossroads in their careers.
Considering the Kardashians are allegedly using unpaid interns to help care for their children, it seems a little unfair to accuse people of not wanting to work.
As a woman who just earned her law degree, instead of offering this sound-bite, piss-poor advice, perhaps she could fight to litigate on behalf of female entrepreneurs rather than than simply telling them to “rise and grind.”
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