If Kanye West ever becomes president, Kim Kardashian would descend on Washington as the only First Lady whose initial claim to fame came from a celebrity sex tape.
While there’s a low statistical probability of that happening, the Twitterati are already opining that she’ll be the “worst First Lady” ever.
Although there’s no denying Kim has a divisive background, she wouldn’t be the only first lady with a controversial past.
Have her critics not been paying attention to history — especially recent history?
When Kim Kardashian first came to everyone’s attention, it was courtesy of an adult film starring the middle Kardashian sister and rapper-turned-reality-star Ray J.
That seems to be the cause of contention for many of Kardashian’s critics.
In the 1980s and 1990s, it wasn’t “socially acceptable” to be an adult entertainment star. Today, the stigma doesn’t carry the same weight, even if it hasn’t disappeared entirely.
The response to Kim Kardashian potentially being America’s next First Lady proves Americans prefer First Ladies like Michelle Obama and Jackie Kennedy. Women who presented themselves with class and grace.
While Kim Kardashian may not meet that ideal, it seems unduly harsh to judge her for a single sex tape. Especially since she wouldn’t be the only First Lady with ties to the adult entertainment industry.
Nor would she be the first with a problematic past.
Anyone who wags their finger at Kim Kardashian for engaging in a consensual sexual act on camera should probably reevaluate the stories about Nancy Reagan’s time in Hollywood.
According to biographer Kitty Kelley, Reagan (then performing as Nancy Davis) allegedly had – shall we say – a wild reputation during her pre-White House days .
How would the “party of family values” feel about the gossip about Reagan’s more salacious times — incidents that arguably put Kardashian’s wildest acts to shame?
If we’re going to ignore Reagan’s rumored dalliances, let’s not discuss Melania Trump’s nude “modeling career,” even if the most tawdry allegations about her were later retracted .
And we’re really not going to discuss how Jeffrey Epstein allegedly played a role in the Trumps’ initial meeting.
Once you look past the First Ladies who engaged in taboo behavior, the stories get even more problematic. Aside from the First Ladies who owned slaves, we could talk about Laura Bush – who caused a fatal car crash when she ran a stop sign as a teenager .
If you’re going to take Kim Kardashian to task for what she’s done on camera in the past, make sure you put the other First Ladies under the same microscope.