Career guidance experts have called out Kim Kardashian's comments on women's attitude to work in her latest interview.
The Kardashians star, 41, caused outrage on social media media on Thursday after her advice for women in business went viral on social media.
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When discussing her businesses alongside her sisters Khloé Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian and momager Kris Jenner, the Skims entrepreneur told Variety: "I have the best advice for women in business. Get your f*cking ass up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days.”
Kim's comments were met with outrage from people on social media, who called the comments "insensitive" and drew comparisons to the controversial remarks Molly-Mae Hague made her interview with Diary Of A CEO host Steven Bartlett.
The Love Island finalist was called "tone deaf" when she insisted “we all have the same 24 hours in a day as Beyoncé” when asked about her career success back in December.
Now, career guidance experts have weighed in on Kim's opinions following Molly-Mae's statement. Liz Sebag-Montefiore, career coach and Director of 10Eighty called Kim's comments 'inconsiderate" to people trying to find their next role but have been met with hurdles.
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"I think the damage this could do would be huge - their confidence would drop even more, and it could potentially take them longer to land," she tells Tyla.
Some Kim fans defended the star by claiming that she may be referring to people exclusively in the fashion and cosmetics industries which Kim and her sisters, most notably Kylie Cosmetics founder Kylie Jenner have found success however Liz says Kim's statements are not warranted. "She might be referring to a small group of people who aren't engaged in working, but in the main, people who work in fashion and cosmetics choose to as they are passionate about the industry. They are likely to work long hours for a fraction of her pay.”
In regards to Kim's advice specifically to women in business, Liz responded with: “Women like to be empowered with positive words rather than being talked down to; that's enough to disengage anyone.”
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Similarly, career coach Joanna Blazinska said the comments could be "disheartening" and noted that the "starting point" is different for everyone and should be taken into consideration when discussing career progression.
“The majority of people, if they want something they will definitely work for it, so assuming the rest of us do not want to work is simply not accurate and a major simplification," she said.
“Additionally, the starting point for everyone differs, as well as our circumstances, and this is where the most criticism comes from. It is not considered that the system might be favouring certain groups, and working against others. The starting point, such as access to capital, is already so significant when it comes to success."
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Joanna also explains that the type of work matters in conversations about "people not wanting to work", particularly for women who often end up taking care of housework and childcare, which celebrities like Kim, may have additional help.
"While Kim might be working hard, the unpaid work that women do, like house work, is probably not something she will be working on. She’ll do the fun part, such as creating products, coming up with ideas for promotion. But will not have to care for the work that usually goes unseen and unpaid in regular households.”
Kim Kardashian's representatives have been contacted for comment.
Topics: News, Celebrity, Kim Kardashian, Life
Gregory Robinson