Are the press right to comment on Kim Kardashian's weight?

Gail says: "Absolutely not."

You might not be a fan of Kim Kardashian, or maybe you are. Whilst some may think that she’s a entrepreneurial genius, using her well-crafted looks (and dramatic family) to create a brand used to sell clothing, make up, perfume, potentially dangerous diet pills etc, others might see her as an attention-seeking clothes horse; a terrifying symptom of our increasingly consumerist society where looks and image rule. No talent required. Whatever ‘talent’ is these days.

You might be in neither of these two camps.

You might live your life oblivious to the whole Kardashian circus. You may have no idea who Mason and Penelope are or the fact that apparently, Kourtney is considering being a surrogate. If you are in this third category, I almost envy you.

We don’t need to know the ins and outs (no pun intended) of Kim’s love life in the way we need access to clean water or education. We don’t need to see Khloe’s fertility issues playing out on our TV screens and in magazines. None of this makes a real difference to our lives. If the whole family were to disappear from our screens tomorrow, we could all quite happily carry on as we were pre-2007.

The way that Kim is treated by the press however does make a difference and is far more shocking than the fact that she and Kanye may call their child Khrist. The way in which we respond to it is way more important than whether Kanye will take her name when they marry. Kanye, Kim and Khrist Kardashian? So what?!

Not since Jessica Simpson, whose first pregnancy seemed to go on forever thanks to hourly updates by The Daily Mail, has a woman faced such an outrageously vicious amount of attention regarding the way she looks. One minute Kim is looking gaunt, due to her “rigorous” and potentially risky extreme dieting, the next she’s having a “200 lb nightmare”. Apparently she “gorges on burgers and chips” and has been made the subject of numerous not so hilarious memes and gifs, currently spreading like wildfire over the net.

Who wore it best? Kim or a Killer Whale? Shut up. Seriously.

What troubles me the most about this is the fact that this whole episode seems to further normalise the idea that we all have the right to openly judge a woman by her body. At least when Joan Rivers called Adele fat, the vast majority of straight thinking people realised she was out of line and the story seemed to disappear as quickly as the insult itself had darted out of Joan’s mouth. When it comes to Kim though, it seems to be open season and every day there’s something new.

It needs to stop.

In a world where people are so influenced by the media, some kind of line has to be drawn and an example needs to be set. Other women’s bodies are not ours to judge, no matter what the papers say.

Laura says: "Absolutely."

I have to say, I don't care about the Kardashians. I've never seen an episode of whatever their telly programme is called. I'm one of those lucky people who has no idea who Mason and Penelope are. I know there's a mum, a few sisters and that she's dating 'voice of a generation' fishsticks Kanye West. I know she's pregnant, I know she's going through a divorce with a person, and things are getting ugly. Oh, and she has a massive bum.

How do I know this? Because she's thrust in my face every time I open a magazine. She is the epitome of a fame whore. And if that's what makes Kim K happy, then that's fine by me. Each to their own and all that. So why do I think the press have every right to comment on Kim's life? Her weight? Her relationships?

Firstly, Kim willingly talks about extremely personal and sensitive information in front of millions of people. Nothing embarrasses her. If people wanted to see her smear test I'm pretty sure she'd film it (if she hasn't already). The media found someone who is desperate for attention and would give Access All Areas to not only her world, but her entire family's world. They latched onto brand Kardashian because here was a family who would give it all in return for fame and money. Ka-ching.

This is evident by how she became famous. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Kim had sex and filmed it. In 2007 the tape was 'leaked' (sources claim her mum allegedly brokered the deal and raked in the resulting cash) and she somehow got a reality series a few months later. That's it. She's famous for having a vagina.

Secondly, she has a level of control over the press. Do you think paparazzi sit around on beaches on the off-chance a celeb turns up? No. Do you think celebs squeeze themselves into unflattering bikinis despite having stylists? No way.

Publicity takes planning. Strategy. Tactics. Nothing is left to chance. And people are paid a lot to make sure nothing is left to chance. How dull is a story about Kim on a beach. Who would read it? Who would care? But Kim in a bikini that's clearly too tight? A bikini that makes her look podgy? THAT gets people talking. Now she's a beached whale, and has the attention of the world.

So publicists leak stories, tell  paps exactly where their client's going to be, and have 'sources' comment about their private lives. As long as we the people are talking about her, about her weight and whether we should talk about them talking about her weight, then she's happy. Because there's always some new up and coming fame whore who could take her place.

In essence, the press has every right to comment on Kim because she willingly sold her entire life, the good, the bad and the ugly, to the highest bidder for a shot in the spotlight. Don't feel too bad for her. She has a huge level of control over what's said about her. We read what she wants us to read.

So kids, if you're desperate for fame, know the right people, have a good publicist, a decent lawyer and enough money, you too can be famous. And if you're raking in tens of millions each year in endorsements, book deals, TV shows and appearance fees, if you have millions of followers and a legion of admiring fans hanging on your every word, then I'm pretty sure you wouldn't care if someone said you looked like a beached whale, either.