Upton urged her followers to “stop altering” their photos and perpetuating “unrealistic standards” of beauty

Kate Upton is adding her voice to the conversation surrounding an unedited photo of Khloé Kardashian that was posted without her permission, with the model urging people to “stop altering” their photos.

On Wednesday the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star, 36, shared “unretouched and unfiltered” photos and video of herself after an unedited photo of her in a bikini went up online and spread on social media earlier this week.

In the post, Kardashian explained that she didn’t want the original photo shared because she’s still learning to love her body in the face of “pressure, constant ridicule and judgement.”

Although she called the unedited photo “beautiful,” Kardashian wrote that as “someone who has struggled with body image her whole life” she sees filters or photo editing in the same light as makeup or manicures: another way to “present myself to the world the way I want to be seen and it’s exactly what I will continue to do unapologetically.”

Addressing the controversy, Upton, who has spoken out about airbrushed images in the past, wrote that it was time to stop “altering” bodies to perpetuate “unrealistic” standards of how women should look.

“Let’s start embracing our bodies and stop altering them to create unrealistic standards,” the model, 28, wrote on her Instagram Story.

MATT WINKELMEYER/GETTY; KATE UPTON/INSTAGRAMKate Upton, Khloé Kardashian. JB LACROIX/GETTY; RODIN ECKENROTH/WIREIMAGE

Upton has been vocal over the years about the need to embrace a healthier mindset when it comes to body image.

While participating in an unretouched photo shoot for Health in 2019, she addressed how edited photos have become the “new norm” on social media.

“When you think about it, we have retouching everywhere now — and we don’t even know it,” she told the magazine. “And then we believe that’s how people actually look, and think we should look that way too.””So, for me, doing an unretouched shoot is a step toward embracing real life,” she added. “The goal should be to be the best you can be — not try to look like someone else.”

Jameela Jamil and Katie Couric have also weighed in on the controversy.

After Kardashian’s post went up on Thursday, Jamil shared that she believes the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star and her famous family “played themselves.”

“Even though I remain furious at how much this family perpetuates fat-phobia and impossible beauty standards… I TOTALLY see why they’re so obsessed with presenting as whatever society’s latest ideal of ‘perfect’ is. Because they were harassed and bullied and scrutinized to within an inch of their lives,” the Good Place actress wrote on social media.

“They may hurt us. But god did society hurt them,” added Jamil, who runs the body inclusivity platform I Weigh. “We cannot keep treating ourselves and each other like this. What’s happening to her isn’t funny. It’s sad for everyone.”

In her own comments, Couric applauded Kardashian for being “raw and honest,” but added that she agrees “with those who say the non-stop procedures and constant filters are promoting unrealistic and harmful beauty standards.”