Khloe Kardashian Gets Cryptic Again With 'Trust' Post Amid Photo Controversy

Following the controversy surrounding an unedited photo of herself leaking on the web, Khloe Kardashian posted another cryptic quote that could be interpreted as a comment on the situation. The scandal began last weekend when a makeup-free photo of the 36-year-old Keeping Up With the Kardashian star surfaced on social media. During the week, Kardashian's legal team rushed to erase the photo from the web, an almost impossible task in 2021 that ended up drawing more attention to the picture.

"Things have a miraculous way of working out," Kardashian posted on her Instagram Story Friday, reports InTouch Weekly. "Trust that." While this quote was cryptic, Kardashian directly addressed the situation with a long statement on Wednesday. She also shared an Instagram Live video, showing off her "unretouched and unfiltered" body.

"The photo that was posted this week is beautiful. But as someone who has struggled with body image her whole life, when someone takes a photo of you that isn't flattering in bad lighting or doesn't capture your body the way it is after working so hard to get to this point — then shares it to the world — you should have every right to ask for it to not be shared — regardless of who you are," Kardashian's statement read. "In truth, the pressure, constant ridicule and judgment my entire life to be perfect and meet other's standards of how I should look has been too much to bear."

She went on to note that she was often bullied as the "fat" or "ugly" sister growing up. Kardashian said she did not expect sympathy as someone who grew up in a privileged family, but she said some of the public standards she faces are "unbearable." Kardashian also defended doctoring her images. "My body, my image and how I choose to look and what I want to share is my choice," she wrote. "It's not for anyone to decide or judge what is acceptable or not anymore."

The photo that sparked this showed Kardashian in a string leopard-print bikini, as well as Kardashian's face. The photo featured none of the editing the Kardashian family is infamous for using. There was some "color" editing to it, but nothing on the level of the photos the Kardashians usually publish. Tracy Romulus, chief marketing officer for Kim Kardashian's KKW Brands, told Page Six they wanted the photo removed because it was shared on social media "without permission by mistake by an assistant."

The family's efforts to get the photo taken off the web was criticized, especially since Kardashian has promoted a positive body image through her Good American brand and her 2017 series Revenge Body. "Making such a fuss about this one slipping through the cracks just shows how desperate she is to convey an image that really isn't her," one source told InTouch Weekly. "Fans love the real Khloé; the way she really looks. It's very hypocritical to tell your fans to own their body types when you can't do it yourself. It's disappointing."