Why Kim Kardashian Might Be The Perfect Face For Modern-Day Feminism

Kim Kardashian is definitely not the woman who comes to mind when you think "Feminist."

After all, she's made a career on talking about her diet and injecting her lips with all sorts of chemicals, and most certainly spends more time in the makeup chair than she does actually sleeping in order to look like that each day.

But delve further into Kim K's recent behavior, and you'll see she's (slowly) shaping up to be an outspoken advocate for young women everywhere.

It's shocking, I know.

Here we thought Kim's greatest contribution to society would be the collection of booty-filled Instagrams we'll have long after she's gone. But perhaps it's more Kim's recent actions that we should be paying attention to — and maybe even emulating — right now.

Kardashian was recently recognized as a woman's advocate by joining the "having it all" debate.

In an interview with CNBC, Kim said she took issue with PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi's revelation that working women can't have it all — citing the balance she attempts to strike while juggling business ventures and a new baby, North West.

Kim's cultivated personality as a reality TV star and clothing connoisseur is certainly different from other women whose roles include high-pressure corporate positions and other jobs that don't pay in gifted haute couture.

However, by entering into the dialogue and urging women to "try" — even if such a balance doesn't seem possible, as Kim said — she's providing women with another perspective.

Kim has become another voice that attempts to uplift her fellow females as they determine their own way through the unique struggle women face when juggling a successful career with a present home life.

But perhaps the most surprising way Kim has come to embrace her own modern-day feminism is through the recent release of her gaming app, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood.

Let's be real, the premise seems stupid. Players get an animated look into the life of Kim Kardashian, as she bops around LA, from Nobu to designer dress fittings, and more. You have every right to be skeptical.

Its success, however, can't be underscored — instead of coming off as a perfect reality simulator in the glamorous everyday life of Kim K, it modestly pokes fun at the life she's been so privileged to live, and doesn't take itself too seriously.

And clearly there's a group of people who want to emulate everything this reality star does because it's become so popular that one analyst estimates it will make $200 million in its first year on the market. More importantly, however, is what the iPhone app stands for.

The end game isn't to find the Kanye West of your dreams, to give birth to the perfect North baby, who comes out of the womb so demure, she's already decided she doesn't like prints.

The goal of the Kim K game isn't to land in any of the "traditional" roles that were carved out for women back when it was OK for men to call the shots and for females to be sideline players.

In Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, you win if you have an amazing career that you love, after having worked your way up the food chain, so to speak. Sound good, ladies? It certainly does to me.

SAY WHAT U WILL ABOUT THe KIM K iPHONE GAME BUT the entire point is to have an amazing career. Not a boo. Or a baby. — ▵ Jenna Wortham ▵ (@jennydeluxe) July 22, 2014

But when one essayist first suggested back in 2013 that this Kardashian might be the "overlooked face of feminism," the piece was met with — unsurprisingly — a lot of outrage and ridicule.

And while this one argument was certainly overwrought (no need for that Helen of Troy comparison, please) Jezebel's particularly virulent reaction to the post wasn't a kind display of "women helping women," either.

Whatever your issue with Kim K, a dialogue about what constitutes feminism and women being confident enough to stand up for themselves is always a positive — yet in its response article, Jezebel only tears this fellow female down, asserting that there's no way that Kim could be a feminist.

I considered this to be a surprisingly harsh and ignorant statement because, Jezebel, do you personally know Kim Kardashian, all her thoughts and ideals?

Surely, she comes off as superficial for the media, and maybe she really, truly is. But aiming negativity towards one woman for her outside appearance is something we expected from the guys — not a women's oriented site.

Men direct enough of that shaming and misunderstanding towards us women already, so let's leave that to them and get back to a more conducive conversation about the qualities that Kim K has that could make her a positive persona for the feminist movement.

Because if Kim Kardashian has proven anything to us over the years, when she sets her sights on something, she works to achieve it. She makes it happen.

And is there any stronger statement than a woman unabashedly pursuing what she wants and knows she deserves?

If Kim decides to continue to become a public advocate for women's issues, imagine the incredible impact she could have.

With her 16,387,348 Instagram followers, the 22.3 million people who follow her on Twitter, and the additional 2 million who tune into "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" each week, she might just be what we need to engage more individuals on the issues that are important to women today.

Photo credit: WENN