Kim Kardashian West Keeps It Real

I was in the same room as Kim Kardashian West last week.

Got your attention, didn't I?

I was at BlogHer this past week/weekend thanks to One2One Network. I won a giveaway and when Malia of their team emailed me I thought she was joking. But she was for real. And so I did what I could and I made it happen. And I'm glad I did. I've got a lot to share on BlogHer and my experience, but this post? Is strictly about the Kim K keynote.

If you don't know by now, Kim Kardashian West (I'm not the only one who forgets she added his last name to hers, right?) was one of the keynotes of BlogHer16.

You may have read about this and thought to yourself, huh, really? That's odd. Or maybe you were one of the people who gave a LOT of feedback. And it wasn't good. Well, good on you.

And I'm not a Keeping Up With The Kardashians fan. Or a Kim fan, really. Honestly, I often find myself wishing Kanye would just go away.

But I went to this keynote because why not?

I mean, seriously? I even found myself envious of the few people who wound up close enough to get a selfie with her, because you KNOW what that did for their social media once they shared, right?

So, back to Kim. The interview was an interesting one. I watched as she picked which seat she wanted to sit in, assuming that she had a 'best side' - one which ended up blocking a lot of her facial expressions for some of us, as her hair (her freaking FLAWLESS hair) slid in the way.

And I listened. And she was pretty open. Pretty honest. Pretty real. And simply, just ... pretty.

Now, remind yourself that your reality isn't likely anywhere close to Kim's. I mean - just #keepinitreal, y'all. Mine isn't, either. But she appeared to be keeping it as real as she could. Or as real and un-phony-like as I've ever seen her. Or maybe I've never truly listened to her speak. Whatever, though. I was listening and Snapping and taking pics and videos to document her words for my own review later on.

Kim discussed her experience in social media. I won't say I learned too much about how to become a social media maven from her, but I'll add that I didn't expect to. Again, reality. It's not the same for me as it is for her.

She discussed her app. Or apps. I don't know how many she has. I didn't really pay attention to that information - if it was discussed. I did hear her say that she has a lot of weird and funky images and faces of herself and her sisters in the app. "Unflattering," according to Elisa Camahort Page, co-founder of BlogHer. Kim spoke freely, sharing that she doesn't mind making fun of herself. Same goes for her sisters.

She discussed her family. Shared memories of her father as her mentor. Kim was around 23 years old when her father passed away. She spoke of him fondly. Remembered how he motivated her. Encouraged her. As someone who has lived without my father for the last few years? I felt her loss.

She also spoke fairly openly about her relationships with other female celebrity entrepreneurs. No, she didn't talk about Taylor Swift. Yes, she kept things as real as possible. She mentioned calling Jessica Alba to pick one another's brains that very morning. Again - not my reality - but I, too, have friends I discuss my blog, my writing, my business goals and my life with. Jessica Alba just happens to be one of Kim's.

I'd like to share a few of my favorite quotes from her keynote with you. Some of them may seem confusing out of context, but I do have the videos (remember, I did a lot of Snapping that day!) to back them up, I'm just not loading them all - this post is long enough!

Elisa asked her what she wants to say to those who underestimate her. To those who think she does nothing at all.

"When someone underestimates me, I love to get to know them and have them have one conversation with me to just understand ... I think the easiest question to ask is what does she do? What is her talent? I jokingly said to my husband the other day. My next answer should be, sarcastically,

How lucky am I? If I don't sing and I don't dance, but I'm still doing what I'm doing, how easy is my job? I don't have to do any of that. I don't have to be on stage like you - working, you know, so hard - but we're still driving the same car."

She wasn't being rude. Just matter-of-fact. And showing that, hey, you know what, if everyone thinks she does nothing at all, why not go with it.

"It's the easiest thing to ask, for anyone to assume that it's not a full-time job to have to sit and create things and come up with every single blog post (and I do three a day) to working on apps - it would be the same thing as people saying similar things to bloggers, what do you do, you're sitting at home and you're just on your computer. I respect it so much.

I don't mind getting underestimated, but I feel for people - that I understand how it could bother them [other people] if they're put in the same situation. 

My personality is just, if you underestimate me I would love to have a conversation with you. I'd just like to prove to you that you're wrong."

Listen. You can think that Kim is all about the glamour and glitz. And sure. She is. I know it. You know it. We all know it. But she's also about life. Family. Her kids. Even their privacy. She loves being on a reality show. Loves being in the spotlight. But doesn't think her kids need to be in the media coverage at all times. She protects them, as moms do.

She also spoke about her nude selfies. Briefly, but still. Kim Kardashian West shared that she takes nude selfies because she is comfortable in her body. And while she does this, she does not expect anyone else to. She does not judge anyone else who does, or who doesn't. And so - she pretty much shared a you do you mindset.

Kim and I are kindred peeps right there. Can you believe it? Cause I'm all about the selfie.  And if I'm being honest? I've got some similar reasons. Body confidence? It rocks. Good for you, Kim.

And lastly, because I have to, here is proof that we were in the same room, y'all. And it was a pretty cool experience.

So, there you have it. My brush with reality TV royalty. Did you attend BlogHer this year? Did you go to Kim's keynote? (Holla, first name basis and all!) If so, what did you think? Did you recap it? Let me know in the comments so I can come say hi and see what you've shared.

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