Sept 27 2019
- Kim, 38, is of Armenian heritage through her late father Robert Kardashian
- She's called for recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in what is now Turkey during and after the First World War
- The Armenian National Committee of America asked her in a tweet to make her products in Armenia
- The reality star responded with a series of tweets Thursday explaining it was a business decision to make some products in Turkey
She's half Armenian and has publicly called on the US government to recognize the Armenian Genocide that took place in what is now Turkey during and after the First World War.
So it's no surprise that Kim Kardashian's decision to have some of her SKIMS products made in Turkey is causing controversy.
The reality star, 38, was called out for it by the Armenian National Committee of America on Twitter Wednesday and on Thursday, she posted a series of tweets explaining her decision.
The ANCA first thanked Kim for raising awareness about Armenia and then tweeted: 'We saw that you are making some @skims products in Turkey. Please consider making them in Armenia which is known for great craftsmanship & service.'
She responded that her decision to use manufacturers in Turkey was a purely business decision.
'When I first began dreaming of owning my own shapewear company, I knew I wanted every piece to be made the best way possible; from the finest materials; starting from design stage through to creation, testing, innovation & fit,' she tweeted.
'We consulted with experts and searched globally for the best in class options, some which was found in Turkey,' she went on.
She then justified the decision, tweeting: 'We believe strongly against discrimination of any kind; against anyone or any nation based on the past.'
The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star then wrote: 'I will be visiting Armenia in the next 2 weeks and hope to seek ways I can help increase trade and hopefully create jobs for Armenians which includes @skims production there in the future.'
Kim concluded: 'I am a strong believer that in order for change to happen, you must be willing to work with all people, even when you have differences in political opinions.'
Kim's late father, O.J. Simpson attorney Robert Kardashian, was born to Armenian-American parents and his great-grandparents were ethnic Armenian immigrants.
During and after the First World War, Turks engaged in ethnic cleansing of Armenians as they worked to establish a nationalist Turkish state from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire.
Back in April 2011, Kim had expressed anger after her image appeared on the front cover of Turkish Cosmopolitan the same month that commemorates Genocide Remembrance Day.
'Cosmopolitan Magazine has a number of international editions all around the world that run in various territories, and when I did this shoot for the international covers I had no idea that Turkey was planning to run my story on their cover THIS month, considering Genocide Remembrance Day is this month,' she said in a statement at the time.
Meanwhile, Kim courted controversy in a different way when she announced via social media Wednesday that her SKIMS collection now includes a waist trainer.
She showed off the new product in an Instagram video in which she modeled the corset.
'A waist-trainer is a gift that I used to give to all of my friends right after they had a baby,' she revealed in the clip. 'To me they just make me feel really smashed and I really don't know … smashed isn't the most descriptive word.'
It's not the first time the Kardashian family has boasted about their love of waist training despite backlash from the medical community.
Kim's half-sister Kylie Jenner was blasted online after bragging about the cincher as a way to get back to her pre-baby body post pregnancy.
One of the brand's made popular by the Keeping Up With The Kardashians stars — Waist Gang Stars — was slapped with a class action lawsuit in 2016 for lying to consumers about weight loss benefits.
Kylie and Kim aren't the only sisters taking part as Kourtney and Khloe have both shared posts wearing trainers on social media.