Lesson from Kim Kardashian West robbery case: Show off at your own risk

Kim Kardashian West may be back in New York City with her family after being robbed at gunpoint in Paris, but this incident has ignited a debate of sorts among the cocktail shakers and couture junkies. Is it an alarm for the flash-your-cash princesses? We have B-Town lasses, who put every designer bag they receive on their Instagram handles, preening socialistas, who chronicle their caviar-soaked travels and the up-and-coming social climbers posting everything from their OOTD (outfit of the day) to their spa-tastic visuals. Coming back to Kim’s case, who’s to be blamed? Should we blame it on the lax security? Chanel’s big boss Karl Lagerfeld minced no words and blamed the reality TV star’s vulgar public displays of wealth for the robbery.

After Spring-Summer 2017 runway show of the storied French House in Paris, fashion’s chicest hooligan commented, “I don’t understand why she was in a hotel with no security and things like this. If you are that famous and you put all your jewellery on the net, you go to hotels where nobody can come near the room. You cannot display your wealth and then be surprised that some people want to share it with you.”

He went on to throw light on how this unfortunate turn of events cast a negative light on the larger-than-life image of the French capital, especially after the city has bled thanks to the terror attacks. “Image-wise, I think, it is very bad,” he said. “We make all the efforts to make Paris appealing and then, apparently (the robbers) were people from the east (Eastern Europe).”

A security expert was quoted on line saying, “All this Chanel clothing and things that highlight how wealthy they are is a huge target for people trying to do harm.” Later on, Monsieur Karl mitigated the brouhaha with a handwritten note, reading, “Dearest Kim, we are all with you. Love, Karl.”

Is there a lesson for all the Chanel junkies here? Columnist and opinion-shaper Shobhaa De says, “True blue socialites never ever feel the need to flash their cash. That’s left to wannabes and vulgarians. New money is insecure money — only first generation millionaires/billionaires are stupid enough to travel with priceless baubles.  The truly confident are happy ( and secure!) wearing faux. 

Celebrities who wear their wealth are asking for trouble by attracting the wrong kind of attention. When did discreet go out of style?” One can’t help but agree with Ms De as the logo-besotted, attention-seekers are clearly looking at arriving in life with that ‘it’ bag. Whatever happened to being grounded, low-key and discreet? While most Indian socialites have private social media accounts, a section does indulge in some heavy-duty shenanigans from time to time. From personalised dinner invites to the latest Celine purchases to snapshots from the members-only club soirees — everything is up for eyeball grabbing.

We speak to a spectrum of businesswomen, designers & influencers on their take on the social media circus...

Get a life, ladies!

Author and social commentator Shobhaa De says, “The rich have always been soft targets — that’s not new. It’s the neo-rich who display their wealth brazenly, who need to buckle up. As for those poor Insta freaks posting pictures of their Birkins and more — get a life, ladies.”

Gender-biased question

Businesswomen Roohi Jaikishan finds the question sexist. She says, “Celebrities lead public lives. Kim Kardashian is an influential entrepreneur, who has built herself a successful business. Her narrative might be what the 21st century allows women to express. Whoever you maybe  — celebrity or otherwise, a robbery is a form of assault and affront to one’s safety. In a world that is occupied by women celebrities does one need to navigate differently because you are famous? I find this question in itself gender biased.”

Be careful on social media

Businesswoman Sheetal Mafatlal observes that it’s okay for the actresses and social media influencers to be active on these platform which they extrapolate to promote themselves. “Otherwise, they lose out on endorsements. Having said that, if you’re flashing yourself, you need to protect yourself too. Indian socialites should not be flashing wealth and keep their accounts private and factor in the risks accordingly. You can be on social media and showcase what you’re about without throwing it in people’s faces,” she says. Guess it’s about being tasteful on Instagram and not going overboard!

Keep your Chanel to yourself!

Life coach Chhaya Momaya questions, “Why belittle anyone by flaunting your house or wealth? I’ve always believed in living in modesty. This has been happening for a while now. When the Dawood Ibrahim controversy rocked the country, businessmen/socialites went under the radar back in the day. Keep your Chanel and Gucci for yourself! Extravagance creates monsters out of other people. I was active on Instagram for some time but then went off it completely. I’m glad Kim wasn’t physically attacked. There’s a lesson in it for all of us.”

Some level of privacy important 

Architect and man-about-town Ashiesh Shah says, “I feel that Instagram and other social media handles are a medium to project yourself and who you are. Now the question is — what do you want to project yourself as — your interests or your belongings? I think some level of privacy is crucial. Also, be ready for a large number of people’s opinions on your posts and updates. Your staff is also on Facebook and they know they haven’t got their raises but they have seen the very expensive bottle of wine on your Instagram last week. However, they are struggling to pay for their children’s education. I think we also have a socio-economic responsibility. Just because we’re privileged, doesn’t mean we have to flash it. I’m happy to put my achievements out there, but not how I celebrate them.

We live in difficult times...

Designer Monisha Jaising sees it as an off-shoot of the socio-economic instability. “The world is becoming politically unstable and there’s intolerance at every level across the board. What happened to Kim was really sad. It’s okay to be on social media, but wealth  is something that draws out the worst in people,” she says.

Gucci bag is aspirational for many

Designer Nandita Mahtani says, “I think flashing your wealth is a very personal choice. However, I don’t believe in flaunting wealth and I don’t think it’s in good taste. As long as an Instagram post is done tastefully, there’s nothing wrong with it. I don’t see anything inappropriate with a Gucci bag being posted on social media as it’s aspirational for a lot of people.”