By: Natasha Archary
Was Kim Kardashian’s “advice” to women constructive criticism or a personal attack?
Kim is perhaps one of the most popular celebrities with the biggest influence. Her global reach with over 292 million followers means that she’s got a huge platform to invoke change.
The businesswoman and reality TV star recently received backlash for her “advice” to women.
“Get your f*ken asses up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days!”
In an interview with Variety, Kim slammed women for being too lazy to put in the effort. While some thought she was directing her views on her older sister Kourtney, many felt Kim is so far removed from reality.
She is just one celebrity whose life of privilege gives her a warped perspective of the plight of women who did not have it as easy.
The discussion on Kaya Drive on this Monday on constructive criticism highlighted how important it is to have relatable and positive people to look up to.
Kim proved that she does not represent the voice of the marginalised and is devoid of how toxic her messaging can be to her followers, especially the impressionable younger generation who are easier to influence.
Toxic positivity
Social media influencers have gained more traction. While some use their influence to inspire and motivate people to success, there are others, like Kim who remain highly critical of people.
The difference between constructive criticism and attacking someone personally is that the latter is detrimental to a person’s morale.
Constructive critique will focus on:
- Actions and behaviour focusing on what someone has or has not done
- Facts, with specific examples of behaviour that is inappropriate
- Future improvement, for example, requiring an employee to do something differently or make changes
Having constructive critique means there’s room for improvement and areas of focus that can be worked on.
It’s a different stance to Kim’s views on the working middle class.
Dealing with highly critical people
Critical people make rude comments, judge our decisions, talk at length about what we’re doing wrong and rarely have anything positive to say.
Learning to deal with critical people will entail more than just a tough skin.
You will need to assert yourself and establish firm boundaries which sets the tone for your engagements.
- Be assertive
- Back up your words with behaviour
- Give feedback
- Take a break from the person
- Remember their opinions are just that
