Khloe Kardashian unfiltered photo: why TV star wants unedited poolside bikini picture removed from internet

Reality TV star Khloe Kardashian is attempting to have an image of herself removed from the internet, after an “unfiltered” snap was mistakenly shared online.

The 36-year old’s team have tried to have the photograph – showing her standing by a pool in a leopard-print bikini – removed from social media, but their attempts have only resulted in some fans sharing it more widely.

The image was unedited, and featured Kardashian in a more “natural” light than followers of her Instagram page may be used to.

Here is everything you need to know.

How has Khloe Kardashian responded?

Kardashian has defended her right to edit pictures of herself, saying her self-image has been battered by years of cruel comments online.

She said while the unfiltered picture was “beautiful,” she had the right to ask for it to be removed.

Kardashian also responded by sharing a live video of herself wearing only bikini bottoms and hiding her chest with her arm – a clip intended to prove her body was not photoshopped.

She also posted a lengthy explanation of why she edits her pictures and said she would continue to do so.

“In truth, the pressure, constant ridicule and judgement my entire life to be perfect and to meet other’s standards of how I should look has been too much to bear,” she wrote.

The star shared some examples of the kind of comments she is regularly subjected to online.

“‘Khloe is the fat sister.’ ‘Khloe is the ugly sister’. ‘Her dad must not be her real dad because she looks so different’ ‘The only way she could have lost that weight must have been from surgery.’

“Should I go on?” she added.

What did she say to her fans?

Kardashian said she was not asking for sympathy but “to be acknowledged for being human”, and that she has been conditioned to feel she is unattractive after years of criticism.

She wrote that she tries to live her life “as honestly as possible and with empathy and kindness”, adding “it’s almost unbearable trying to live up to the impossible standards" that the public has set for her.

She compared Instagram filters, good lighting and editing to makeup and having her nails done, and said she used them to “present myself to the world the way I want to be seen, and it’s exactly what I will continue to do unapologetically.

“My body, my image and how I choose to look and what I want to share is my choice,” she added. “It’s not for anyone to decide or judge what is acceptable or not anymore.”

The final slide of her post was a message for her fans.

“We are all unique and perfect in our own way,” she wrote. “Whichever way one chooses to be seen.

"I have realised that we cannot continue to live life trying to fit into the perfect mold of what others have set for us. Just do you and make sure your heart is happy.”

Her sister Kim Kardashian – who recently joined the fabled “Billionaire’s Club” – sent a message of support in the comments: “I love you Khloe.”