So, Kylie Jenner smokes weed. At least that’s what it seems like from Instagram. On Sunday, she posted a topless photo of herself smoking what looks like a joint.
In the black-and-white photo, the 19-year-old starlet is lying on her stomach in bed, letting smoke billow out from her mouth, as she looks down at the joint, whilst showing off her smokey eye makeup job and perfectly tousled hair.
This photo isn’t the first time Jenner’s gone public about smoking. It’s part of a “smoking in bed” series she began in March. Nonetheless, it’s caused quite a bit of controversy.
“It’s corrupted that ppl like Kylie Jenner can post pics smoking weed while so many PoC {people of color} are incarcerated for marijuana possession,” one person posted on Twitter.
Another person thought the joint contained tobacco: “Can someone tell @KylieJenner that smoking cigarettes isn’t cute,” they posted on Twitter.
And yet another fan criticized her for being a bad influence: “Say what you like, but Kylie uploading a pic smoking, despite knowing most of her followers are teenagers, says a lot about her as a person.”
Not everyone, however, was offended by the photo. Some people were inspired by it.
“Kylie Jenner smoking weird {weed} in her bed naked while someone fixes her hair is honestly goals I can’t handle it,” one fan posted. Another wrote, “Kylie Jenner posted a photo to IG {Instagram} smoking a j. That means I need to do the same right?”
Like it or hate it, Kylie Jenner’s photo normalizes cannabis, re-imaging what and who we think of when we think of pot-smokers or stoners. The photo shows that one need not be steeped in cannabis culture, or the industry, to come out of the closet about smoking weed.
Various other celebrities have come out about their relationship with weed, whether they currently smoke it or have quit. Whether their relationship to cannabis and other substances is good or bad, merely having an open and honest conversation about it, or smoking it publicly, does much to change public perception. It shows that discussing weed, or the image of using it, could be on par with discussing alcohol, or taking pictures of drinking wine, beer, or cocktails.
