'Elle' UK Editor Defends Kim Kardashian Cover

Following last months revelation as the January 2015 cover star of ELLE UK’s feminism issue "Confidence" Kim Kardashian has faced severe public backlash readers around the world. However Editor-in-chief Lorraine Candy has come to the rescue of the reality star, in letter a released on the magazine’s website yesterday, in which she defends her decision to put Kim on the magazine's issue cover.

Candy believes that Kardashian's success should be "applauded" and not "sneered," pointing out that she has in fact built a powerful empire and encouraged women to feel more confident about their bodies.

"For me, confidence is about finding your voice and making it heard," the editor-in-chief writes. "This is not about shouting louder, or indeed judging those women who feel the need to do so; it's about finding out how to persuade yourself you can achieve whatever you want to. If you have found other women, it is important you support other women as they find theirs. As we put this Confidence Issue together and news of Kim Kardashian West's place on its cover was leaked, I noted some people questioning our choice, querying Kim's credentials as a successful woman and ours as a feminist magazine. I wish women would not judge other women in this critical way," Candy continues.

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but for me, Kim's success should be applauded, not sneered at or, indeed, denigrated. She is the perfect face for an issue devoted to self-belief. She has built a staggeringly influential business empire and inspired many young women to be more confident about their bodies. And let us remember, no one woman can embody all the hopes, beliefs and ideals of everywoman."

In an interview with the magazine Kim discusses her journey thus far "I'm an Armenian girl, I have shape, and it turned out people liked that, That makes me feel good about myself and about other women for being so supportive. "I am a confident woman, but I didn't just arrive confident - it has built over the years and that is a big part of who I am now."

What do you think? Should Kim Kardashian really be the role model who for a “smart woman’s guide to self-belief,” as the cover advertised? Were fans justified in their backlash at the reality star? Tweet @fmd1_com using the hashtag #lovefmd !