Parenting

What’s the issue here? Kim Kardashian poses topless in photo taken by 4-year-old daughter North

While Kim's fans argue over the appropriateness of the photo, a psychologist tells us what the real issue is here.
Loading the player...

Selfie queen Kim Kardashian is not afraid to post a controversial photo to social media. In fact, recently the star has flooded her Instagram feed with NSFW photos while she promotes a new fragrance range.

Nearly-naked photos of the reality star fail to shock audiences these days as they’ve become so common to her online brand. However, Kim’s most recent social media snap has caused outrage among her fans and put her back in the headlines once more.

Kim took to Instagram today to post a topless photo to her Instagram feed, which according to the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star, was snapped by her four-year-old daughter North.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Be8V9RCFmMy/?taken-by=kimkardashian

In the snap taken by Kim’s progeny, the mum-of-three wears an unclasped bra and black 2XU compression leggings while she conceals her breasts with her hands. Her reflection can be seen in the mirror, as can her daughter’s. She captioned the photograph, “[camera emoji] by North.”

The pic has received nearly two million likes, however, one look at the photo’s comments and it’s clear Kim’s followers are divided with many outraged that the mum would have her four-year-old daughter photograph her topless.

“I wonder how many people would get social services called on them if this was anyone else but Kim K? This is sub-par parenting,” one user wrote.

“Awful getting a child to take pictures like this of their mother!” exclaimed another.

Meanwhile, there were a camp of Kim’s fans defending her decision to post the photo.

“How is this bad? My mom used to change in front of me all the time. It’s normal with moms and daughters, at least where I’m from. Maybe North was just playing with the camera when Kim was changing. It’s normal, y’all. Stop reaching,” one fan wrote in Kim’s defense.

As Kim’s fan pointed out, it is normal for a parent to dress in front of their infant child, and it is also not concerning for a child to take a photo of their parent, so why does this image leave us feeling so uneasy?

Registered psychologist Mitchell Howarth tells Now To Love that although there may be no issue with North taking a photo of her mum, it is the relationship dynamic between the two which might be an issue.

“North’s experience is the most important thing to consider here,” says Mitchell who conducts therapy via the online platform Lysn.

“If she feels that her role is that of ‘photographer’ and ‘spectator’ in the life of her mum, that could be detrimental to her mental health. It’s not a child’s job to meet the needs of their parents; their job is to be a child,” he says.

Kim is yet to speak out on the controversy surrounding the shot, however we expect it’s only a matter of time before the queen of come-backs says her piece.

Related stories