Kourtney Kardashian Thinks People Are Hating on Her For Being a Mom

Another day, another Kardashian drama. On August 19, eldest KarJenner sister Kourtney Kardashian came under fire after posting photos of herself and her three children—Mason, Penelope and Reign—vacationing in Idaho. The pictures were super-cute, and Idaho actually looks gorgeous. (Who knew?)

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But the photos didn’t sit well with everyone. Instagram user @kimdashianwest left this comment on Kourtney’s gallery: “Kourtney, this is why ppl say u don’t work, girl.”

If the comment seems like it came out of nowhere, it really didn’t. Over the past year, Kourtney has faced a ton of backlash for seemingly “not working” (i.e., living her life with her kids and not pursuing a makeup, denim or fitness empire like her sisters). This criticism was maybe, probably, most definitely incited by comments made in August 2018 by none other than Kourtney’s own sis Kim Kardashian West when the two sisters argued over the family Christmas card shoot. The episodes-long argument, which aired on Keeping Up with The Kardashians, found the two sisters butting heads after Kourtney wanted to leave the shoot early to put her kids to bed. At the time, KKW chastised her sister for being “entitled” and difficult despite the fact that she didn’t have any businesses or commitments beyond the show. When the episode aired, Kourtney shared her reasoning, tweeting: “We all have our own priorities. Mine is being a mother.”

Kourtney’s Idaho photos—and the most recent comment—came on the heels of *another* bougie AF holiday that saw her spending an extended period of time with her family in Italy, a vacay that earned her the title “Queen of doing nothing” from one Instagram user. Which, ouch.

In response, Kourtney doubled down and writing: “We all have our priorities. So I’ll be making memories with my kids and amazing people while living my life to the absolute fullest.” Kourt then concluded her clapback by plugging her lifestyle website and a forthcoming travel diary, heavily implying that she saw the comments about her not working as BS.

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But if anything, all Kourtney’s response does is highlight the fact that she just doesn’t get it. Because, TBQH, people aren’t calling her out for being a devoted mom; they’re calling her out because she won’t acknowledge the privilege that allows her to prioritize motherhood—a.k.a. *a lot* of money and fame. And, yeah, it’s kind of infuriating.

Being a parent is 100% a job

Let’s not get it twisted. Calling out Kourtney is in no way saying that what stay-at-home parents do is unimportant. Being a parent is probably one of the hardest jobs there is—and one of the most under-appreciated. Motherhood is often referred to as the “invisible profession” because it’s a job with a 24/7 workload and little to no recognition. According to a Psychology Today article by psychologist Mindy Greenstein, stay-at-home parents, especially mothers, are often viewed as dependents rather than “full-fledged partners.” And motherhood has often been devalued by a patriarchal society that tends to have more respect for what men do. Which, typical.

This despite the fact that women—and moms—make the world go around.

So, yeah, don’t come for stay-at-home moms (and dads).

And Kourtney *does* work

Outside of the hard work of caring for her kids, Kourtney is in fact a working woman. In addition to appearing on the family’s hit reality-TV series, the mom of three is a bona fide business woman, having launched her lifestyle brand, Poosh, in 2019.

Do we *fully* understand what exactly Poosh is or why she’d choose to give her brand that title? Not really. But regardless, Kourtney has found something she’s passionate about and seems to be sticking to it. Also, her having a lifestyle brand is much less random than, say, Scott Disick becoming the Chip Gaines of Calabasas.

But she should acknowledge why she can do both

The issue doesn’t really lie with the fact that Kourtney prioritizes spending time with her kids over building an empire or working long hours. The issue is that she fails to acknowledge (and maybe even to see) how she’s able to do both—with the aid of some serious money and outside help—and that this isn’t the case for everyone.

Because Kourtney doesn’t have to work. In the context of the Kardashians, with their billion-dollar empire, saying that you’re making family time a priority over work isn’t noble—it’s a privilege. It’s a privilege to be able to prioritize your kids and make memories the way that she does. And it’s a privilege that a lot of people don’t have—especially single mothers.

Which also makes emphasizing and re-emphasizing her lifestyle as a “priority” pretty belittling to those who literally can’t afford to do the same.

Even her comments about publishing a travel diary as indicative of working is steeped in privilege. How many people are able to travel, make memories and then sell those memories for profit? Influencers and the KarJenners. That’s it. And it’s precisely because of fans like @kimdashianwest that Kourtney’s even able to do so.

And, as a public figure, she kind of needs to

Yes, Kourtney *technically* doesn’t have to answer to anybody about her decisions and “priorities,” but as a public figure who has built her brand specifically on the image of motherhood (and a holistic, organic motherhood at that), pushed it out to the masses and expected people to buy into it, she should be more mindful of other people’s experience of motherhood.

Being a mother is her thing, as she has said time and time again. (Remember when she gave birth on TV—as in televised herself pulling her child from her womb and onto her chest?) So to *not* acknowledge how her privilege plays a part in supporting the very brand she continuously plays up is just super unfair.

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