Khloé Kardashian Is Protective of 3-Year-Old True's Self-Image After 'How People Critiqued My Body'

"I don't play when it comes to True. She's very tall. People will always say, 'She's so big.' And I'll say, 'Oh, she's so tall,' " says Khloé Kardashian of her daughter True

Khloe Kardashian and True
Photo: Khloe Kardashian/Instagram

Khloé Kardashian is sharing her approach to body image while raising daughter True.

The Keeping Up with the Kardashians alum poses with her 3-year-old as part of Health magazine's November 2021 cover story, in which the mom opens up about her past experience with body shaming.

"When it comes to food — I had so many issues," she says. "It wasn't from one person, I guess just from society or how people critiqued my body. So I don't play when it comes to True. She's very tall. People will always say, 'She's so big.' And I'll say, 'Oh, she's so tall.' I try to make them be more descriptive. I know what an adult means when they say that, but I don't want her to misinterpret that."

Khloé, who shares her child with ex Tristan Thompson, adds that True is "really tough" but she does "try to always tell her that it's okay if she cries or if something is wrong."

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Khloé further elaborated on her past relationship with food, describing it as a "really unhealthy" one.

"When I was younger and was sad, I would eat — I was an emotional eater. And then I hated the way I felt after that," the Good American co-founder says. "I was almost punishing myself for binging or having a bag of chips. It just became so much thought. I had tried every diet under the sun. ... That's why I yo-yoed my entire life — I was always chasing some fad."

"When I started working out, I decided to make some lifestyle changes," she says. "So I'd say, for example, this week I am just going to do one thing: I'm just going to cut out sugar. Then, maybe I'd try to do it for a month. After that, I'd try to incorporate another healthy change."

Back in April, Khloé shared unedited photos and video of herself as she opened up about trying to learn to love herself despite the "unbearable" scrutiny she faces.

"... As someone who has struggled with body image her whole life," she wrote at the time, "when someone takes a photo of you that isn't flattering in bad lighting or doesn't capture your body the way it is after working to hard to get it to this point - and then shares it to the world - you should have every right to ask for it not to be shared - no matter who you are."

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She continued, "In truth, the pressure, constant ridicule and judgment my entire life to be perfect and to meet other's standards of how I should look has been too much to bear."

"You never quite get used to being judged and pulled apart and told how unattractive one is," Khloé added, "but I will say if you hear anything enough then you will start to believe it. This is how I have been conditioned to feel, that I am not beautiful enough just being me."

During part two of the Keeping Up with the Kardashians reunion in June, host Andy Cohen asked the famous family whether their glamorous photoshoots and sexy swimsuit shots promote unattainable beauty standards for other women. Khloé's sister Kim Kardashian West shared her perspective.

"No, I don't. Because I think we get up, we do the work. We work out," Kim, 40, said, referring to the early-morning workouts she and her sisters often share on social media.

"We all really enjoy taking care of ourselves and being healthy, so I think if anything, the only thing we're really trying to represent is just being the most healthy version of yourself," sister Kendall Jenner added at the time.

If you or someone you know is battling an eating disorder, please contact the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) at 1-800-931-2237 or go to NationalEatingDisorders.org.

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