Kim Kardashian Says She Loves Being a 'Boy Mom'—But Wait, She Has Daughters Too

Not only is the reality star throwing shade at her daughters, she's also playing into gender norms.

Fact checked by Sarah Scott

Kim Kardashian is at the center of the latest boy-mom controversy.

The 42-year-old reality TV star and mother of two sons and two daughters discussed being a “boy mom” in a recent episode of The Kardashians, which made its way to Hulu on October 19.

“My son Saint has a newfound obsession, love for soccer, so I decided I want to plan this legendary trip of a lifetime,” Kim says. “I love my girls, but a girl, like, steals your clothes and has an attitude, you know? There’s nothing like being a boy mom. Like, seriously, it’s the best.”

No, I don’t know. As a girl, I played soccer for more than 10 years, went to the opening round of the 1999 Women’s World Cup, and never stole my mother’s clothes. You’ll have to ask her about the attitude—we probably have different memories.

Let’s unpack.

What Is a Boy Mom?

If you haven’t been on the Internet lately (first, that’s probably for the best), "boy mom" is a made-up term that I think is supposed to be cute and funny but really isn’t (I have two sons).

The #boymom label is polarizing enough. Though I think it’s often used as a well-meaning way to find an identity in parenthood, it leans into toxic, cringy gendered norms. At best, it involves memes, reels, and photos of boys getting dirty, climbing on things, and roughhousing (though the implication is that girls somehow don’t do these things).

At worst, it’s them being disrespectful and smacking their mom’s backside with the excuse that “boys will be boys,” which has zero place in society. (Equally cringy is girl-dad culture, in which fathers seemingly expect laughs and high fives for getting their nails painted, coaching youth basketball teams, and discussing how they look forward to the “stern talking-to’s” they’ll give their daughters’ future boyfriends—you know because they’ll totally have boyfriends).

The whole thing gets even worse when you consider the fact that Kim has two daughters, and this clip and subsequent media coverage will live forever on the Internet for them to see. Take the people who decided to partake in the egg-cracking challenge and multiply it by 364 million Instagram followers.

Can't We Just Call Ourselves Parents?

Reddit fans of the show aren’t fans of Kim’s comments.

“I think she’s more worried about her daughters stealing her spotlight,” says one.

Another called Kim out for previous remarks about gender. “Her comment about girls ‘taking your beauty’ when Kylie was pregnant—so bizarre and old school.”

“So misogynistic,” another person replies.

And it’s just completely untrue. As someone who didn’t learn the sex of her babies until delivery (coolest surprises ever!), I can tell you that many of the myths about “prediction” are way off.

Anyway, others got to the heart of the issue—Kim totally threw shade at her daughters, whether she meant to or not.

“So much negativity—hope her daughters don’t hear those kind[s] of comments,” writes one.

“That was my exact thought—saying, ‘I love my girls, but being a boy mom is the BEST.’ Yikes? You know North sees clips of this stuff, regardless of what Kim has convinced herself,” someone says.

Yikes, indeed—no question mark needed. Kim has spent decades in front of cameras, so honestly, I don’t really think these comments are excusable.

Also, unless we’re chatting about potty training/learning/whatever we’re calling it these days—where there are some notable differences as kids with penises can stand and should put the seat down for those of us without them—I’m not really sure why we’re still using this silly term.

You’re not a “boy mom” or a “girl mom” or “boy dad” or “girl dad.” You’re a parent. Love your kids, whether they steal your clothes, cop a ‘tude, play sports, or whatever. Find ways to bond with them that work for you all, and stop with the toxic terms that go heavy on harmful gender roles. Girls can play sports. Boys might steal your shoes, and they can certainly be sassy.

We can also find ways to bond with other parents that don’t involve gender-relatable teams. I know it’s hard to find mom friends, but we can do better than hashtags and sweatshirts that broadcast our kids’ genitalia and imply that 100% shapes their hobbies, interests, and personalities.

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