Under the cover line "Break the Internet," Kim Kardashian posed for a series of risque photos for Paper Magazine's winter issue, released earlier this week -- including a full-frame image of her butt and a full-frontal nude.
Reaction was swift, sustained and divisive: lots of body positivity, lots of negativity. And a lot of focus on the fact that Kardashian has a daughter.
"I normally don't. But ... you're someone's mother ..." wrote "Glee" star Naya Rivera on Kardashian's Instagram.
The singer Lorde added, simply, "mom," in response to a Kardashian tweet.
They were not alone.
I'm as liberal as they come, but I would NOT want @staceysweiss to pose naked like @KimKardashian 'cause she IS a mom.
— Bert Weiss (@BertShowBert) November 13, 2014
Kim kardashian is trashy. Why are you still doing nude photo shoots when you're a mom
— Ky (@kybutlaaa) November 13, 2014
As the "mom shaming" storyline coalesced, people came to Kardashian's defense.
"It's as if people expect women to lose all sex appeal once they've birthed their first child. Is it just me, or does that view seem incredibly archaic? UGH," wrote Nicole Pomarico on Bustle.
On babycenter.com, Sara McGinnis asked: "It doesn't sit well with me for Kim to be shamed for being naked and sexy(ish) because she's a mom. If you don't like the photo at all that's fine by me, but what should being a mom have to do with it?"
For her part, the last thing Kardashian tweeted was a winky face.
