In reading Giovanna Bernardo’s piece on Kim Kardashian’s recent display of nudity on social media, I was disappointed but not surprised. As a proud feminist, I found myself cringing at many of the points made and I felt compelled to bring my opinions to light.

Firstly, I urge Ms. Bernardo to refer to the “female cause,” the “female campaign” and the “fight for equal rights and opportunities,” as what these ideas actually are: feminism. In a discussion about female nudity in the public eye, it seems only appropriate to use the term at least once. I would also like to emphasize that feminism stands for all women, not just those who are assigned female at birth, so we should avoid using this type of trans-exclusionary language.

Secondly, I would like to introduce the term “internalized misogyny,” defined by The Journal of Integrated Social Sciences as “sexist actions and attitudes towards [oneself] and people of their own gender.” Ms. Bernardo’s argument, as well as the celebrity tweets she cites, are riddled with this common affliction.

The comment made by Bette Midler is clearly vulgar and is in no way “deserved.” Harassment and crude language are never warranted by a woman’s willingness or desire to be nude. Though Midler’s sexist comment is certainly inappropriate, I feel that the opinions of Chloë Grace Moretz are much more damaging. Moretz tweets of the importance of young women understanding their worth aside from their bodies, a statement that, in other circumstances, I would agree with. Women are constantly being told that beauty comes from the size of their breasts, waist and hips.

Ms. Bernardo is right to bring up the impressionability of young women, especially in terms of beauty standards. However, what Moretz and Ms. Bernardo do not understand is that their condemnation of Kardashian’s naked photo only contributes to the daily shame that is thrust upon women’s bodies. As women and especially as actors, Midler and Moretz know the societal pressures of maintaining a proper body image, but they still felt it appropriate to publicly shame Kardashian for her self-expression. This is an unfortunately perfect instance of internalized misogyny.

We need to eliminate the idea that there is a right and a wrong way to achieve success as a woman. Feminism allows us to make choices, and we should not shame women for the choices they make, though we may not personally agree with them. Many women find empowerment in the reclamation of their naked bodies, and some have become financially successful because of it. For Ms. Bernardo to belittle their success is to perpetuate the same sexist ideas that she claims to find problematic.

Ms. Bernardo does make some important points about how our society sees women’s value, but her argument ultimately fails women. The way to overcome objectification is not to ridicule women for taking part in a system that some see as “superficial” and “dangerous”; we need to change this narrative. In a world where there is so much pressure on women to present a perfect image, attacking women for succeeding in this venture is not progressive. Women cannot move forward if we continue to scrutinize each other in our self-expression. If gender equality is the goal, the hierarchy of women that this scrutiny enforces cannot exist.

Overall, while the goal seems to be the encouragement and empowerment of women, the effect of the piece is judgmental and promotes shame.

Sophie Gamer is a senior majoring in biology.