Kim Kardashian’s Infamous Figure Is Harmful to Body Image, Study Says It Hurts So Good

When it comes to Kim Kardashian’s body, we can’t get enough. If she would grace us with a bikini pic every day, we could live out our lives happily and never want for more. But according to a new study, indulging in Kardashian eye candy is harmful…to some people.

Researchers Sarah McComb and Jennifer Mills at York University in Toronto did a study and concluded that gazing upon Kim’s “slim-thick” figure caused higher body dissatisfaction in young women. That could be because that particular body shape is tough to come by, given that it includes “a curvier or more full-body type, characterized by a small waist and flat stomach but large butt, breasts and thighs.”

Basically, women nowadays are expected to be skinny and keep their curves, which is damn near impossible unless they’re surgically altered or just blessed with incredible genes.

402 women, ages 18 to 25 (the age group with the highest Instagram usage), participated in the study. They viewed 13 photos of influencers with either slim-thick, fit, or thin body types. Where insanely thin used to be the ideal body type in pop culture (think Kate Moss circa her Calvin Klein days), now the slim-thick body type is considered ideal, causing “more weight and appearance dissatisfaction” among women. The pressure to attain this ideal is so high, it can cause disordered eating, unhealthy weight-control behaviors, low self-esteem and social anxiety.

“The slim-thick ideal was most harmful to women’s appearance, weight and overall body satisfaction,” the researchers concluded. “[It] may still represent an ideal of beauty that women find threatening and personally unattainable.”

In other words, while we stay thirsty for all the slim-thick figures out there, seeing those bikini pics is harmful to the women in our lives. A compromise? When your girl’s within view, don’t let her catch you scrolling through the Kardashians’ feeds – and remember to tell her how hot you think her (perfectly normal, healthy) body is.

Cover Photo: NBC

MORE NEWS: