Kylie Jenner took to Instagram to raise awareness for Lizzie Velasquez, a young woman with a rare condition that impedes the creation of body fat (and no, don't say that you wish that you had that problem, even as a joke), which dramatically impact's Lizzie's appearance.
Kylie explains that, and then adds:
"Throughout her entire life, this condition has resulted in a lot of #bullying. It is so unacceptable to treat people like this."
And that is such an important message. And it would have been great if she'd stopped there. Unfortunately, Kylie continued.
"People are so quick to say horrible things about me everyday [sic] over and over and sometimes I can't take it.Even I at times get affected by it. I breakdown [sic], I hide, I cry. It's resulted in a lot of anxiety for me that I've never had to deal with before ever. My every move has been documented for the whole world and its [sic] been a nightmare trying to find myself through all of this. And I've absolutely lost apart [sic] of myself."
Here's the thing—empathy is all about relating to other people's experiences, and particularly to their suffering. It makes sense, when one person talks about how they've been bullied, to think immediately of your own experiences with bullying. Going on about that at length, however, is not usually appropriate. It is extra inappropriate in this case because the bullying that a beautiful celebrity experiences at the hands of the media and fans cannot be compared to the experience of someone with a disfiguring congenital condition.
Kylie's post is important. Later this month, "A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story" is coming out, and promoting that was such a good thing for her to do. And, for the most part, it really is the thought that counts. We just hope that, next time, Kylie is able to weigh different experiences with a little more perspective.
