Kim Kardashian bares all and rules the Internet
There is no escaping Kim Kardashian.
And I mean all of her.
You are excused if you are in a dark cave in a far-flung corner of this Earth that prevents you getting onto the Internet.
But by now, most netizens would have had their eyes assaulted by Kardashian's risque pictures for Paper magazine, in which the attention-seeking US reality TV star and mum of one goes totally nude, baring her breasts, butt and privates.
Her mission?
To "Break The Internet".
You bet she did - Kardashian, 34, did nothing but crack open an opportunity for well-loved controversy.
It has sparked off countless parodies, memes and plenty of mixed reactions.
While some applauded her for being proud of her natural curves, others frowned in disdain.
Glee star Naya Rivera commented on Kardashian's photos: "I normally don't. But... You're someone's mother..."
Let's be honest here. Surely we're not surprised by this move?
Given Kardashian's lack of inhibition and penchant for flaunting her assets and revealing every iota of her life to the media, this latest stunt is something that was, ahem, Bound 2 happen.
And what does her equally fame-whorish rap mogul husband Kanye West have to say about this?
His "#ALLDAY" Twitter post (retweeted 72,000 times, favourited over 80,000 times) gives away little but speaks volumes.
That lucky, lucky man.
Paper magazine could not have picked a better candidate.
Anything Kardashian does drives the Internet wild.
With 21 million followers on Instagram, her selfie-heavy profile is apparently the photo-sharing site's third most popular.
Her reality TV show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, is approaching its 10th season and she has weaselled her way into respectable fashion bibles like Vogue and W.
The successful entrepreneur also has a mobile app called Kim Kardashian: Hollywood - a game that allows players to live it up like a virtual A-lister - which has amassed over $55 million since its debut in June.
However much we hate to admit it, this woman is a marketing genius - so it should not come as a shock that the nude shoot was her idea.
Paper's editorial director, Mr Mickey Boardman, told New York Magazine's The Cut that having Kardashian take her clothes off was not part of the plan.
But she wanted to do "cool, amazing things".
"Her attitude was, if we're gonna do this, let's really go there," he said.
Photographed by Jean-Paul Goude in Paris in September, the safer of the two covers - where she's clad in a black gown - is a recreation of his famous Champagne Incident shot.
Yesterday, the hashtags #BreakTheInternet and #Who'sKimKardashian were trending worldwide.
Who rules the Internet?
I'll give you the naked truth - it's Kim Kardashian.
Share your views with Ashikin at ashikinr@sph.com.sg
OTHER CELEBS WHO BARED IT ALL
RIHANNA
Lui magazine, May 2014
The Barbadian singer bared her breasts and nipple piercings for this cover shoot with the French adult magazine. She later shared some photos on Instagram, which the site later took down.
MIRANDA KERR
Interview magazine, Sept 2013
This was the theme of the shoot: "Skin, fur, and pearls - an intoxicatingly timeless combination that frames the sophisticated, smouldering sexuality of the girls who set the room on fire." You get the picture.
GISELE BUNDCHEN
Lui magazine, June 2014
A month after Rihanna's racy shoot, the Brazilian model also stripped for the same magazine.
PAMELA ANDERSON
Purple magazine, Issue #21, 2014
"I'm a bit of an exhibitionist, and I like having pictures taken... It still was a shock to see how strong I looked," said the Baywatch star of the shoot for the French magazine.
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