In July 2022, Kim Kardashian was criticized for posting a photo on Instagram of her then four- and nine-year-old daughters North and Chicago sleeping cuddled up in bed. The girls sat nose to nose and crossed their arms while lying under the covers. Both had their hair pushed back from their faces, while North wore a gray t-shirt and Chicago looked cozy in pink pajamas. The sisters apparently didn’t know they were being filmed by their mother, who couldn’t help but capture the sweet moment. While many fans enjoyed seeing the precious bond between their children, some had issues with the post.
In an online thread, one person wrote: “I’m sorry but this is a private moment for her and her children. Maybe on a fake Insta, but to post to hundreds of millions of people? No. Such a violation of their privacy.” Another had a similar response: “I find it disgusting how they constantly post their kids when they are literally at their most vulnerable when they are sleeping.” One person showed compassion for the girls by saying : “It made me angry as a child, I always hated it when my mother would post me on Facebook without saying anything.”
Kim was also criticized for throwing a $150 million birthday party for her three-year-old. Even TODAY anchor Jenna Bush Hager grilled Kim about the party. “Here’s some advice my cousin gave me when I had my first child,” Jenna shared during an episode of the morning talk show. “Don’t even have a party. Lower their expectations because if you go over the top at three, what do you think they’ll want at 16?” Jenna encouraged viewers not to compare their own parties and gifts to those of celebrities.
“Don’t look at your social media feed and think that kids need expensive vacations or wild, over-the-top things. I love Kim Kardashian, so nothing against her, I’m just saying, little moments like being outside roasting marshmallows or staring at the stars, walking dogs, all those little moments. You are free!” Hager said.
The Kardashian-Jenner family has always had a long track record when it comes to seeing their children from a public standpoint, as Kim’s mother and father allowed them to appear at a young age on their long-running reality TV series “Keeping Up With” was recorded and aired on The Kardashians.” From this, it’s easy to see how Kim would think this would be appropriate since that’s how she was raised, but they aren’t the only celebrities giving the world a glimpse into their children’s everyday lives grant.
The portrayal of a star’s child is a large part of the foundation of celebrities’ personalities, as seen in the advertising surrounding Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s children. On social media, Kylie Jenner’s first picture of her daughter Stormi took the throne of the most liked picture on Instagram in August 2021 with 18.4 million likes. The portrayal of celebrities’ children can have further influence on the celebrity’s personality. Some celebrities even build their personalities on starting a family with children, such as YouTube family vloggers like The Ace, LaBrant and Franke families, whose main claim to fame is displaying their children.
I believe that children, no matter how famous their parents are, deserve their own privacy and their own life. The occasional consensual Instagram post wishing them a happy birthday or congratulating them is perfectly fine, but documenting the majority of every waking moment of their life and posting it from the time they’re born – when they don’t know any better – is a step too far. Children need time to grow up before they can decide whether or not they want to allow the public to see their private lives. If they let the world into their lives, they may grow older and feel like they owe everyone something, or that they have to look a certain way or they will become irrelevant. Being famous doesn’t mean your child has to be.
Like Jenna Bush Hager’s criticism of Kim Kardashian’s birthday party for her child: If you constantly give your child million-dollar birthday parties and expensive gifts from a young age, they may grow up and want more. They become conceited and spoiled. Parenting is about teaching your children to appreciate the little things. Parenting means letting your children learn that everything in life is not up to you.
They must learn the important lessons of life, no matter how much fame and fortune you can bestow on them.
Nick Keller is an opinion writer. Contact him at [email protected]
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