Kylie Jenner Faces Backlash Over Wheelchair Photos
Reality TV sexpot Kylie Jenner, 18, posed in back latex, copying the dominatrix style, for her Interview cover. She also bared her butt crack in several images within the spread. The images were raunchy, considering that she is, you know, still a teenager. However, what's really pissing off the Internet isn't her Lolita posing. It's the fact that Jenner is seated in a wheelchair on one of the three covers. Considering that Jenner is able-bodied and has full use of her legs, posing in a wheelchair and calling it "art" is pretty damn insulting and has been interpreted as downright offensive by many who require one to actually move around.
The Twitterverse exploded, understandably so, with comments on how insensitive Jenner and the publication were for positioning her in a wheelchair when she doesn't need one. It was a display of ableism, which is discrimination in favor of those who are able-bodied.
Of course Interview issued a statement, defending the spread and chalking it up as "art" that was not meant to offend anyone. Seriously, though. How could the subject, the photographer, and the editor-in-chief think this was a good idea or that it wouldn't offend people who rely on wheelchairs to navigate life, as opposed to using it as a piece of haute couture? There's really no excuse for this lack of taste and such poor judgement. Perhaps Jenner should spend a few weekends a month working with the handicapped to truly understand their plight.
Meanwhile, Interview issued a statement to E! about its decision to use a wheelchair as a "prop," justifying it with a bunch of pretty language that doesn't really say much:
"At Interview, we are proud of our tradition of working with great artists and empowering them to realize their distinct and often bold visions. The Kylie Jenner cover by Steven Klein, which references the British artist Allen Jones, is a part of this tradition, placing Kylie in a variety of positions of power and control and exploring her image as an object of vast media scrutiny. Throughout the Art Issue, we celebrate a variety of women who are both the creators and subjects of their artistic work, and the Kylie feature aims to unpack Kylie's status as both engineer of her image and object of attention. Our intention was to create a powerful set of pictures that get people thinking about image and creative expression, including the set with the wheelchair. But our intention was certainly not to offend anyone."
Yeah, sorry, not buying it. I am not sure what "unpack Kylie's status as an engineer of her image and the object of attention" has to do with having her sit in a wheelchair when she's able to walk and stand. Maybe next time it would be more powerful to put a woman who uses a wheelchair and is a survivor on the cover. I can't think of anything more powerful than that. Jenner and Interview completely misfired on this one.
[Source: E!]