The Real Reason Kim Kardashian's Instagram is Causing Controversy

By Emily Lee

April 14, 2017

Everybody knows that the Kardashian family can basically spin gold out of an Instagram post. The social media pros reportedly make over 6 figures to promote products on their personal accounts, so it's not surprising when you come across a Kardashian sponsored #Ad while scrolling through your feed. Whether it's Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Kendall, or Kylie, you're bound to run into these promotions now and again. It's usually something benign, like FitTea or that teeth whitening product they seem to love. Kim has found herself in a bit of hot water, though, after posting a new #Ad to her account.

The real reason Kim Kardashian's Instagram is causing controversy doesn't actually have anything to do with the fact that she posted the ad. It has to do with the way she chose to promote her sponsored product. The business mogul decided to promote Diclegis, a prescription drug that fights morning sickness in pregnant women, which she has sponsored on social media in the past. It's an odd photo, with an even odder caption, and people are calling Kim out for it.

#Ad Remember this? Just want to remind all of you that if you’re miserable with #morningsickness like I was, try changing your diet & lifestyle first. If you still feel sick, don’t wait-ask your doctor about #Diclegis (doxylamine succinate & pyridoxine HCl), the only FDA-approved medication for morning sickness. It’s the most studied drug in pregnancy & it worked for me! I want to empower all moms-to-be and encourage them to speak up. #DontSufferInSilence! The most common side effect is drowsiness. Visit diclegis.com Additional safety information can be found below & at DiclegisImportantSafetyinfo.com. Duchesnay USA encourages you to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. For U.S. Residents Only. Diclegis is a prescription medicine used to treat nausea & vomiting of pregnancy in women who haven’t improved with change in diet or other non-medicine treatments. Limitation of Use: Diclegis hasn’t been studied in women with hyperemesis gravidarum. Important Safety Information Do not take Diclegis if you’re allergic to any of the ingredients in Diclegis. You should also not take Diclegis in combination with medicines called monoamine oxidase inhibitors, as these medicines can intensify & prolong the adverse CNS effects of Diclegis. Do not drive, operate heavy machinery or other activities that need your full attention unless your healthcare provider says that you may do so. Do not drink alcohol or take other central nervous system depressants such as cough & cold medicines, certain pain medicines & medicines that help you sleep while you take Diclegis. Severe drowsiness can happen or become worse causing falls or accidents. It is not known if Diclegis is safe & effective in children under 18 years of age. Keep Diclegis & all medicines out of the reach of children. Tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you’re breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Diclegis can pass into your breast milk & may harm your baby. You shouldn’t breastfeed while using Diclegis.

A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Apr 13, 2017 at 8:59am PDT

If you read through Kim's lengthy caption, it's pretty obvious that she didn't write this herself. One of the things that makes the Kardashians so successful, as well as compulsively consumable, is that they're also able to spin things to sound like it's truly coming from themselves. This new Instagram ad is decidedly off brand for Kim, who mastered the art of the sponsored Instagram post a long time ago. The caption reads like she copy and pasted a warning label from the drug and her fans know why. As Refinery 29 reports, Kim received a warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after she promoted Diclegis two years ago. They said the reality star failed to provide any information about the drug's risks and side effects. Instead of trying to inform her fans about the risks in her own voice this time around, she simply copy and pasted. Her fans are just not having it.

Another issue fans are taking with the post is the shoddy photoshop job. Kim's Instagram aesthetic has changed significantly in 2017, so the fact that her old ad was placed into this new photo is pretty obvious. The old stands out against the grainy, ~artsy~ new vibe Kim is using on her social media accounts. It makes the whole thing look pretty unrealistic and has people wondering how the usually savvy Kim let this one fly.

tfw your instagram aesthetic has changed but you still want to #spon pic.twitter.com/CjjeDc6ec5
— Who? Weekly (@whoweekly) April 13, 2017

Lastly, people are coming for Kim simply because she's promoting a drug for morning sickness when she isn't pregnant. It seems like these guys need to have a family meeting and regroup on their sponsorship plans. After all, this isn't the only bad ad the Kardashian family has been caught up in lately.