So…Did Khloe Facetune Her Cat?

Justice for the Grey Kittys of the world.

The first time I realized that someone posted a Facetuned photo of me online was my freshman year of college. I can’t remember if I noticed then, but when I look at the photo now, the edits seem to jump off my screen; my hair is unrealistically smooth, my teeth whiter than they’ve ever been, and even my eyes look larger than they appear in the mirror. I felt good about my appearance that night, donning my favorite blue dress for a university event, but the version of me that my friend posted on Instagram looked far better. I felt a pang of embarrassment when the photo popped up on my feed; it was clear that my real-life “look” hadn’t quite measured up. It was only natural that someone intervened. 

After a summer spent tanning and toning at the beach, I came back for my sophomore year with my confidence at a peak. As social events cropped up, I felt uncharacteristically prepared to pose for photos. Where I’d normally shy away from a camera, I relished in getting enough shots for the right Insta pic. My editing was always minimal, usually done for the greater good – like photoshopping a friend’s dress longer to cover her underwear in a cross-legged photo. But my ego would deflate once again when I’d log on after the photoshoots were said and done, only to see another faux version of myself splashed across a friend’s feed. 

I hadn’t thought about these incidents in years – partially because my friends now are almost too accepting of me in my natural state, and partially because I haven’t posted a photo of myself online in quite some time. But these memories came rushing back when I found myself down a Reddit rabbit hole late Thursday evening. 

Lots of celebs posted photos for Valentine’s Day, and the KarJenners were no exception. Khloe’s v-day photo-dump was particularly  endearing, a heart-laden, balloon-filled family affair. One photo pictured her Blue Russian cat, Grey Kitty, sporting a festive pink collar (probably custom, probably cost more than most of my clothes).  Upon first glance, the photo is unremarkable, just a cute photo of a cute cat. But thank God for Reddit, who are always there to ask the important questions. 

The post on r/kardashians, a forum for “pictures, discussions, and news involving the Kardashian family,” has received over 1,000 upvotes, nearly 200 comments, and sparked a flurry of media coverage over the past 48 hours.

This isn’t the first time one of the Kardashian clan have been accused of altering their photos; Kim has admitted to photoshopping her nieces in/out of photos in order to better match her Instagram aesthetic. All the sisters, at one point or another, have become subject to criticism for alleged “photoshop fails” and generally have been pressed for promoting unrealistic beauty standards through their social platforms. But the subjects of these scandals have always been, well, human. With this latest development, we are in uncharted KarKitty territory. 

If I’m honest, I was surprised; though I’m aware that celebrities are particularly guilty of altering their photos, I thought we’d crossed over into the land of casual Instas and left the culture of overcorrection far behind. Yeah, maybe we’re all spending hours thinking about ways to seem nonchalant online, thereby counteracting the whole point of being nonchalant, but I thought we’d collectively agreed for that to be the extent of our new style of curation. Even Khloe, whose feed has fallen under strictly enforced themes in the past, has embraced a slightly more laid back vibe online.

Based on the fact that over 4 million people downloaded Facetune in 2022, I think I’ve just been giving everyone too much credit. 

I can’t say I haven’t participated in retouching culture myself; I edited a pimple off my face in a since-deleted photo of my sister and I on Thanksgiving in 2019. All my pictures from high school look nearly deep-fried with filters, and I’ve conveniently cropped images to make me look taller, thinner, better countless times. It was wishful thinking to believe that the culture of intense editing was a relic of 2016, abandoned with the same conviction as square eyebrows and ABH cut creases. 

In the grand scheme of things, Khloe’s feline faux pas seems to me like a victimless crime; Grey Kitty will continue to live in luxury, unscathed by the fact that her owner thought she’d look that much prettier with bright turquoise eyes instead of her already-stunning blue (Tumblr would’ve loved her orbs). 

Still, I can’t help but feel a sense of camaraderie with the too-smooth, whiskerless cat featured in the photo. We can try and try and try our best but for some, we will never be enough.

Godspeed, Grey Kitty. I hope you know how beautiful you are.