Say what you want about Kim Kardashian West, to many, she’s an aspirational figure whose selfies are worthy of imitation.
One such Instagram trend-follower copied Kim’s famous ‘belfie’ – that’s a butt selfie, to you and me – but her picture was removed for being inappropriate. Meanwhile the original remains firmly on The Grid.
Now, Mary Przymus, 37, of Feltham, West London, is calling out the hypocrisy and the double standards of decency which favour commercial celebrities.
Mary gained 10,000 social media followers thanks to her post pregnancy ‘fitspo’ – or, to use actual words, fitness inspiration – but things turned sour when Instagram deleted her replication of the famous Kardashian pose.
Mary captioned the allegedly offending photograph:
When real mums try the Kim Kardashian badonkadonk selfie.
Although Mary’s version didn’t break the Internet, like Kim Kardashian‘s, the mother-of-four apparently did break the Instagram community rules.
Now, she’s seeking to break the status quo, saying:
I was disappointed by the double standards when my photos got flagged for doing exactly what my idol Kim Kardashian does everyday.
They bullied me for posting my Kim K-like selfies. Maybe people think I’m trying to be like Kim and I’m not pretty enough.
I’m not trying to be like her but I was so excited about my achievements. The backlash was just shocking.
After giving birth to her son Ethan, Mary – like man women pressured by societal misconceptions – felt compelled to lose her ‘baby weight’.
Six months after Ethan was born Mary began working out daily, doing yoga at home each day and going to her local gym. She shared her progress on social media in a bid to show other mums what they could achieve.
She quickly gained over 10,000 followers, some of whom inexplicably clogged up her comments section with racist abuse.
She said:
I was so upset because Kim’s original photo that I used as inspiration is still on Instagram, which is very unfair.
Normal women are not allowed to express themselves just because they’re not celebrities.
A lot of celebs receive special treatment on social media platforms just because they’re commercial.
I’m just an ordinary person, I’m not interested in fame. Social media is beyond expectation. Women should be allowed to express themselves without being bullied.
Mary’s husband, Bartek, urged her to get rid of her account so she started a new one only for friends and family to see snapshots of their lives.
Mary continued:
My husband has been so supportive and protective. It was bothering me because it is like all the time, hearing people bashing me.
It is not worth it, but it’s so frustrating. I just want these double standards to be exposed.
The fact remains, all women – in all shapes and sizes and social media specifications – are equal and literally no one made Instagram the Gospel according to whose body is blocked from social media and whose is not.
Instagram has not responded to a request for comment.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.