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 are dead as firefighters continue working around the clock to try and contain this historic disaster.
Countless celebrities have been forced to evacuate as fire spread through some of the area’s most famous neighborhoods.
Kardashians Forced to Evacuate Amid Kenneth Fire
Among the stars forced to abandon their multimillion-dollar homes are the members of the Kardashian family, who fled Calabasas Thursday night ahead of the worsening Kenneth Fire.
According to a new report from TMZ, Kim Kardashian and her entire family followed mandatory evacuation orders just before the flames rapidly spread over 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 folks who are risking their lives to keep them safe.
Why, then, is Kim getting blasted on social media and accused of turning a blind eye to the devastation of her hometown?
Kim Lives to Sell
As you’re probably aware, Kim is a billionaire thanks in large part to her Skims fashion line.
She tirelessly promotes the brand on social media, and naturally, she 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 offers on Instagram.
But for reasons that are not entirely clear, many commenters are infuriated by this display of uninterrupted commerce.
“THE WINTER SALE STARTS TOMORROW,” reads one 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 met with a surprising amount of outrage in the comments.
Kim Faces Criticism
“How about making a post of resources that’s going on in LA and what Kim and skims is doing to help!!” one person commented, according to Page Six.
“Still trying to make money from people during the horrific fires,” a second seethed.
“Post about the fires you folks are ruining the brand,” a third wrote.
“So tone deaf of skims be posting this rn,” a fourth replied.
“@skims who cares about a stupid sale. Pack the money and underwear and get it to people who need help in LA,” a fifth chimed in.
Another critic seized the opportunity to praise Khloe Kardashian for posting resources and information about ther fires.
“WHAT ABOUT CALIFORNIA? All you care about is yourself and money! Khloe is the REALEST that’s why I love her SM,” this person wrote.
Thankfully, Kim had some defenders, many of whom pointed out that she almost certainly didn’t schedule the post herself. Many also noted that she’s a mother of four in the grips of a potentially life-changing crisis.
“She’s also in the middle of a traumatic event, have some empathy,” wrote one commenter.
“Y’all shut up this is a business. The show will go on. Kim is grieving and praying for her city just like everyone else,” echoed a second user.
Because we live in the Age of Discourse, in the weeks some, there’s sure to be a great deal of debate about which celebrity Angelenos had the best and worst responses to the fires.
But perhaps we should all pause, take a breath, and remind ourselves that these are all human beings coping with an unimaginable catastrophe.