As you’ve surely heard by now, Southern California has been ravaged by some of the most devastating wildfires in the region’s history.
Thousands of homes have been destroyed and at least ten people have died as firefighters continue to work around the clock to try to contain this historic disaster.
Countless celebrities were forced to evacuate as the fire spread through some of the area’s most famous neighborhoods.
The Kardashians were forced to evacuate amid the Kenneth fire
Among the stars forced out of their multi-million dollar homes are members of the Kardashian family, who left Calabasas on Thursday night before the Kenneth Fire worsened.
According to a new report from TMZ, Kim Kardashian and her entire family followed mandatory evacuation orders just before the flames quickly spread to 1,000 acres in a matter of hours.
The Kardashians also donated hundreds of meals to local firefighters, so they’re clearly grateful to the people who risk their lives to keep them safe.
So why is Kim being blasted on social media and accused of turning a blind eye to her city’s destruction?
Kim lives to sell
As you may know, Kim is a billionaire thanks in large part to her Skims fashion line.
She tirelessly promotes the brand on social media and of course, works with a team of professionals to spread the word about sales and new products.
So it should come as no surprise that the brand has continued to post about its latest offerings on Instagram.
But for reasons that are not entirely clear, many commentators are outraged by this display of incessant commerce.
“WINTER SALES START TOMORROW,” reads a recent post on the Skims page.
“Set your alarm to shop the first major event of the year with up to 50% off your favorite SKIMS collections.”
The ad was met with surprising outrage in the comments.
Kim faces criticism
“How about doing a resource post going on in Los Angeles and what Kim and skims are doing to help!!” one person commented, according to Page Six.
“Still trying to get money out of people during the freak fires,” gushed a second.
“Post about your brand destroying fires,” wrote a third.
“Well, you’ll post that rn,” replied a fourth.
“@skims who cares about a stupid sale. Collect the money and underwear and take them to people who need help in Los Angeles,” said a fifth.
Another reviewer took the opportunity to praise Khloe Kardashian for posting resources and information about the fires there.
“WHAT ABOUT CALIFORNIA? All you care about is yourself and money! Khloe is the REALEST so I love her SM,” this person wrote.
Fortunately, Kim had some defenders, many of whom pointed out that she almost certainly did not plan the post herself. Many also noted that she is a mother of four who is facing a potentially life-changing crisis.
“He’s also in the middle of a traumatic event, have some empathy,” one commenter wrote.
“Shut up, this is a business. The show will go on. Kim is mourning and praying for her city like everyone else,” a second user said.
Because we live in the Age of Speech, in a few weeks, there’s sure to be a lot of debate about which celebrity Angelenos had the best and worst wildfire responses.
But perhaps we should all pause, take a breath and remind ourselves that these are all human beings facing an unimaginable catastrophe.