Kim Kardashian Caught Heat for Photoshopping Image, But It Was for a Good Reason

Kim Kardashian was caught photoshopping another photo on Instagram recently, but there was more to it than vanity this time around. Kardashian shared a picture of herself and boyfriend Pete Davidson on the floor of a hotel room where she had edited the carpet from a patterned look into a flat beige color. While some fans teased her, others figured this might be a security issue considering Kardashian’s history.

Kardashian’s picture went up on her Instagram Story, and it showed her and Davidson sprawled between a mirror and a fire extinguisher in what was clearly a hotel. It would have been easy to miss her edit of the carpet, except that she later posted the same picture on Twitter without doctoring it. At first some fans thought she had changed the carpet for no reason, but others pointed out that this may have been a security concern. If the carpet was recognizable and identifiable, Kardashian wouldn’t have wanted viewers to be able to track her down while she was still staying in the room.

Some fans may have spotted the edit themselves, while others noticed that she shared the unedited version on Twitter with a different caption. Instagram user Dana Omari posted the two side by side to show the difference.

It was at this point that some commenters speculated that Kardashian might have simply been trying to protect her anonymity. The reality star was the victim of an armed robbery while staying in Paris, France in 2016. The apartment she was renting was invaded by five men who bound and gagged her and stole $10 million worth of jewelry before leaving. At the time of this writing, there are 12 people awaiting trial in connection with the robbery.

Kardashian has spoken about how traumatic this experience was and how it impacted the way she conducts business from day to day. She has stepped up personal security protocols for herself and her family, especially when they are filming or when their location is known to the public in real-time.

However, Kardashian is also infamous for editing photos on her social media pages to be more flattering. She has been accused of photoshopping her own body, which some users say is harmful to young girls who look up to her. Many say she creates a beauty standard that is impossible to live up, and that she sets unreasonable expectations for her beauty products. On top of that, of course, critics think this is simply vain.

Kardashian has not commented on the controversy about this particular edited photo. Davidson is not on social media and has not remarked on it either.