Kim Kardashian is revisiting one of the strangest chapters of her early fame, openly questioning why anyone thought it was acceptable for a 29-year-old reality star to pose in lingerie alongside 16-year-old Justin Bieber. In a recent podcast appearance, she described the 2010 Elle magazine shoot as “weird,” “inappropriate,” and the kind of decision that could have “canceled” her in today’s climate. Her comments are prompting a fresh look at how celebrity culture once blurred boundaries between adult sex appeal and teenage stardom.
By unpacking what happened on that set, and how she feels about it now, Kardashian is offering a rare, public case study in hindsight, accountability, and the evolving standards around young performers. The shoot that once played as a cheeky crossover between a breakout pop idol and a rising reality mogul now reads very differently in an era far more attuned to power imbalances and the sexualization of minors.
The Elle concept that paired a 29-year-old with a teen idol
At the time of the shoot, Kim Kardashian was 29 and already a household name, while Justin Bieber was a 16-year-old phenomenon whose every move drew intense attention from young fans. The concept for the Elle spread cast Kardashian as a glamorous older woman in lingerie and swimwear, draped around the teenage singer in a series of intimate setups that leaned heavily on flirtation and innuendo. In her recent reflection, she recalled that the entire premise now feels like a glaring miscalculation, even if it was framed then as a playful fantasy pairing between a reality star and a pop prodigy.
Images from the shoot show Kardashian in revealing outfits while Bieber, still very much a teen, poses beside her in scenarios that mimic a romantic storyline, including shots on a bed and in close physical proximity. The visual language of the spread, which once passed as a glossy, tongue-in-cheek editorial, is now being reexamined as Kardashian herself labels it “odd” and “problematic,” a sentiment echoed in detailed breakdowns of the controversial photoshoot.
Kim Kardashian’s podcast reckoning with a “problematic” idea
During her recent appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Kardashian did not minimize her discomfort with the photos that resurfaced online. She said bluntly that she looks back at the Elle concept and thinks she “should’ve been canceled” for agreeing to pose in lingerie next to a 16-year-old, stressing that she now sees a clear line that should not have been crossed. Her comments framed the shoot as a cautionary tale about how easily adults in the industry can be placed in suggestive situations with teenagers under the guise of creative direction or marketing.
She also emphasized that, in her view, the culture around celebrity and youth has shifted significantly since 2010, making it easier to recognize why the setup feels wrong in hindsight. Kardashian’s remarks about how the shoot could have ended her career were widely circulated, with coverage noting how she described the entire idea as something that would not be greenlit today and that she now regards as a serious lapse in judgment, as reflected in reporting that she believed the photoshoot should have canceled her.
Insisting “nothing ever weird was happening” on set
Even as she criticizes the concept, Kardashian has been careful to draw a distinction between the optics of the images and what actually occurred during the shoot. She has stressed that “nothing ever weird was happening,” underscoring that the environment on set felt professional and that she did not perceive any inappropriate behavior at the time. Her point is not that there was misconduct behind the scenes, but that the final images themselves send a message that now feels out of step with current expectations around protecting young performers.
In recounting the day, she has noted that Bieber’s parents were present and that his then-girlfriend, Selena Gomez, was also around, which she cites as part of why the setup did not initially raise alarms for her. Kardashian’s insistence that the shoot was tightly supervised and that she viewed Bieber as a “good dear friend” of her family is central to her argument that the problem lies in the framing, not in any hidden scandal, a nuance captured in her explanation that nothing ever weird was happening during the shoot.
From playful fantasy to “odd” and “inappropriate” in hindsight
What has changed most in the years since is not the content of the photos, which have been online for more than a decade, but the lens through which they are viewed. Kardashian now openly calls it “not appropriate” to pose in lingerie next to a teenage boy, acknowledging that the power dynamics and age gap make the imagery uncomfortable. She has described the shoot as “odd” and said that, while it was pitched as a fun, cinematic scenario at the time, she now sees how it blurs boundaries between adult sexuality and adolescent celebrity in a way that feels out of step with current norms.
Her reassessment aligns with a broader cultural shift that has become more critical of how young stars are sexualized in media, especially when paired with much older adults. Commentators have pointed to specific shots, such as Kardashian leaning over Bieber or lying close to him, as examples of how the editorial leaned into a romantic fantasy that would likely face intense backlash if proposed today. That evolving perspective is captured in coverage that notes how Kim Kardashian Admitted It Was Not “Appropriate” To Pose In Lingerie Next To Year Old Justin Bieber As She Reflecte on the experience.
How fans and media are revisiting the “forgotten” shoot
The resurfacing of the Elle images has sparked a new wave of online debate, with many fans expressing disbelief that the concept was ever approved. Some have argued that the shoot is a textbook example of how the industry once normalized suggestive imagery involving teenagers, while others have focused on Kardashian’s willingness to call herself out as a sign of growth. The renewed scrutiny has been amplified by social clips and commentary that frame the spread as “forgotten” content that now feels jarringly out of place, a sentiment echoed in pieces describing it as problematic.
Video segments and social media posts have helped reintroduce the shoot to younger audiences who may not have seen it when it first ran, including breakdowns that highlight Kardashian’s current discomfort with the images. One widely shared clip revisits her comments about how the idea ever made it to print, underscoring how dramatically attitudes have shifted since 2010. That reappraisal is evident in coverage that labels it an Elle photoshoot that took a turn for the romantic in ways that now feel out of step with current expectations.
Inside the “odd” staging and Kardashian’s on-set memories
In revisiting the day itself, Kardashian has described specific setups that now strike her as especially strange. She has recalled scenes where she posed in lingerie while Bieber, styled as a young heartthrob, interacted with her in ways meant to suggest a flirtatious storyline. One particularly memorable image involved her holding a rose close to his face, a visual that was likely intended as a playful nod to classic Hollywood romance but now reads as uncomfortably intimate given his age at the time.
Her recollections match detailed descriptions of the shoot’s staging, including the use of props and poses that heightened the sense of a May-December fantasy. Those creative choices, which once seemed like standard editorial fare, are now central to why Kardashian calls the experience “odd” and why viewers are reassessing the spread through a more critical lens. That shift is underscored in coverage that notes how in Oct she described the shoot as odd and in recaps that highlight how Kim Kardashian Recalls Odd Photo Shoot With Year and the moment she held a rose to Justin’s face.
What Kardashian’s regret reveals about changing standards
Kardashian’s willingness to publicly label the shoot as “inappropriate” is resonating in part because it reflects a broader reckoning with how young celebrities are treated. Her comments acknowledge that, even if everyone on set believed they were creating harmless pop culture content, the power imbalance between a 29-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy should have prompted more scrutiny. By saying she now views the spread as something that could have “canceled” her, she is effectively conceding that the industry’s guardrails around teenage performers were far too loose.
Her reflection also highlights how social media and fan culture have become more vocal about protecting minors in entertainment, making it less likely that such a concept would be approved without pushback today. The renewed conversation around the Elle shoot has been fueled by posts that frame it as a case study in what not to do, including an Instagram reel noting that Kim Kardashian has finally broken her silence on her photoshoot with Justin Bieber and coverage that emphasizes how Our new app is here Free Nothing ever weird was happening at the time of the shoot.
A “forgotten” spread that now feels like a warning sign
For years, the Elle editorial existed mostly as a time capsule of Bieber’s early superstardom and Kardashian’s pre-Skims era, occasionally resurfacing among fan accounts but rarely sparking serious debate. Her new comments have changed that, transforming the spread into a reference point in conversations about consent, optics, and the responsibilities of adults who share the frame with teenage stars. The fact that Kardashian herself is leading that reassessment gives the discussion added weight, signaling that even those who participated in such projects now see them as missteps.
Coverage of her Call Her Daddy appearance has framed the shoot as “forgotten” content that now feels like a warning sign about how easily lines were crossed when packaging young fame for mass consumption. Reports have highlighted how she described the idea as something that should never have been treated as normal, with one recap noting that During Call Her Daddy Kim said she could not believe anyone thought it was a normal idea. In revisiting that “weird” and “inappropriate” photoshoot, Kardashian is not only confronting her own past choices but also helping to map how far the conversation about protecting teenage performers has come.
More from Vinyl and Velvet:
Leave a Reply