Kim and Kanye's meeting with a homophobic dictator shows how far they'll betray their morals for validation

Politics is the final arena many celebrities attempt to master in their quest for legitimacy. To celebrities accused of being vapid or ‘famous for no reason’, it is the bastion of constructed ‘seriousness’

From makeup to eye-wateringly expensive trainers, Kim Kardashian-West and her husband Kanye are well versed in the art of selling their followers things they don’t really need.

But the queen of Insta-capitalism has taken a break from honking appetite suppressant lollipops to teens to join her husband as he destroys his musical legacy one photo-op at a time. Fresh from insisting that President Donald Trump will make America “whole again” and embracing the orange overlord himself during a bizarre Oval Office meeting, the famous pair have embarked on their toughest sell yet.

In the latest instalment of Keeping up With the Kardashian-Wests, moral bankruptcy sees Kim and Kanye Take Democracy. If humanising a man who unashamedly locked children in cages wasn’t enough, West and Kardashian have now staged a highly publicised meeting with president Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.

The “fruitful” meeting, which was allegedly to promote Uganda’s tourism and arts industries, saw Kimye gift the president with a pair of Yeezy trainers and pose for photographs.

Museveni has ruled Uganda since in 1986 and has overseen human rights atrocities that include jailing and torturing people suspected of being gay. In 2009 his party attempted to reintroduce the death penalty for those convicted of homosexuality, though thankfully the country’s court struck down the law. Instead, under Museveni, homosexuality carries a penalty of life imprisonment.

Amnesty International has accused his party of facilitating “gross human rights violations”, including forcibly clearing approximately 100,000 people from their homes in and committing hundreds of executions in the process.

Bobi Wine, Uganda’s most prominent opposition leader, said it was “immoral” for West to use his image “just to rub shoulders with the president”. It’s hard to disagree with this assessment. Though, as a gay man, I find it even more disappointing that Kardashian – who professes to be an advocate for the LGBT+ community and recently claimed that “all her best friends are gay” – would participate in such a meeting. You can’t be an LGBT+ ally while snuggling up to people who imprison gay men – it is depressing that this even needs to be said.

From Emma Watson to Angelina Jolie and Beyoncé, the worlds of celebrity and politics are often intertwined. The relationship between famous people and specific politicians or political causes is normally mutually beneficial. Good PR is exchanged on both sides, while the world is, in theory, made a slightly better place through increased funds or awareness.

But what could West or Kardashian have to gain from associating with powerful men known for maintaining power through actively promoting discrimination? After all, both are already wealthy beyond belief, and there’s little positive PR to be gained.

In the era of reality TV and social media stardom, celebrities – even those as legitimately famous and accomplished as Kimye – are still desperate for “serious” validation. Both Kim and Kanye have doggedly pursued this within the fashion industry. Where both once sold cheaper clothes to the masses, their brands have become gradually less accessible as they joined the fashion elite. Kimye finally gained the approval of industry gatekeepers such as Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld – two people with problematic legacies of their own.

But clearly this isn’t enough for them. Rightly or wrongly, politics is the final arena many celebrities attempt to master in their quest for legitimacy. To celebrities accused of being vapid or “famous for no reason”, it is the Leviathan, the grand conqueror and bastion of constructed “seriousness”. How else do we explain the fact that a reality TV star, once relentlessly mocked for his views, now sits in the White House?

With their reputation depleting with each ill-conceived photo op, it seems that not even Kim and Kanye can make authoritarianism cool or edgy. “Brand partnerships” with figures like this aren’t just toxic, but carry potentially dangerous consequences for those they actively discriminate against.

In their quest to appear serious, profound and worldly, it is hard to tell whether West and Kardashian are more deficient in self-awareness or morals. No matter how hard they try, dictators aren’t fashion accessories – and people are no longer buying what they are selling.