#Bumpgate

Kim Kardashian is a divisive figure, revered as much as she is hated.

But it’s not often photos on her very active social media accounts make us feel bad for her.

After the 34-year-old posted her first baby bump selfie on Monday, she was immediately hit with claims she was faking her pregnancy. It’s not the first time her pregnant body has been critiqued, with haters commenting on her weight gain during her first pregnancy.

And she’s not the first star to be accused of faking a baby bump, with Beyoncé falling victim to similar allegations following her Sunday Night interview (below).

But, according to social media users and media outlets like Hollywood Life (with a headline beginning with “Kim Kardashian faking pregnancy?”), the reality TV star’s baby bump looks “strangely small”.   They say Kardashian’s bump in her selfie is bigger than the bump snapped by paparazzi earlier that day, leading to speculation that she must be using a prosthetic belly (although, would the size of a fake belly not be the same?) and using a surrogate to carry her child. Apart from the fact that angles, lighting, shadow, whether she had a big meal and when she last had a pee could all affect the size of the bump, this speculation is absurd.

“Kim Kardashian, 34, is there something you need to tell us?” the article asks. “Fans are certainly confused by the change in size and many wonder if Kim is faking her pregnancy.”

Since announcing that she and husband Kanye West were expecting a baby boy in December, Kardashian has been posting all about her pregnancy symptoms on social media.

In early June, she responded to similar allegations that the couple were using a surrogate from Thailand who was living in Kanye’s Manhattan home. Kardashian said: “If I got a surrogate I would say I did!” And we believe her.

This is a woman whose life is lived out on reality TV.

Over 10 seasons of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, we have seen her talk openly about love, divorce, botox and, more recently, her struggles with fertility.

Kim struggled (on TV) to get pregnant:

Her stepfather just transitioned into a woman in front of the world.

This family is not one to hide things.

And women (all women – not just famous women) shouldn’t have to show their bare baby bumps to prove to the world they are pregnant. We should just believe them.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Kidman and Elizabeth Banks are among the many straight celebrities who used surrogates to carry their children for various reasons.

There is no reason to analyse every image of a celebrity’s baby bump, waiting for them to ‘trip up’ and reveal it as a fake.

Or force them to justify whether or not they have “popped”.

Being a big part of one of the world’s most famous families and pregnant would throw up enough challenges in itself.

Let’s not add ‘ensuring the baby bump is the right size’ to the list.

Can’t get enough of KK? Here are some of her many selfies:

6 months after baby and I’m feeling sexy again. I feel curvier and more confident than before

These are some of my favourite selfies ever ...

Baby hairs on fleek. lol

Barbie photo shoot

Rocky!!! How original, a boxer named Rocky.

Image via instagram

Image via instagram

Kim Kardashian

kim-kardashian-corset-jpg

Image via instagram

Kim Kardashian

Image via Instagram

Kim Kardashian

Image via Instagram

Kim Kardashian

Image via Instagram

Kim Kardashian

Image via Instagram

Kim Kardashian

Image via Instagram