“After 2 weeks of multiple health screens and asking everyone to quarantine, I surprised my closest inner circle with a trip to a private island where we could pretend things were normal just for a brief moment in time,” Kardashian West wrote on Twitter.
“We danced, rode bikes, swam near whales, kayaked, watched a movie on the beach and so much more,” she explained, alongside pictures of guests at the bash.
But the event doubled as a grounding experience for Kardashian West, who wrote: “I realize that for most people, this is something that is so far out of reach right now, so in moments like these, I am humbly reminded of how privileged my life is.”
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Kim Kardashian West in a vintage Alexander McQueen oyster gown at Vanity Fair’s Oscars after-party earlier this year. Scroll through the gallery to see more images of her fashion through the years. Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Her encounter was nonetheless ruthlessly mocked on social media by commentators, many of whom have been unable to seek normalcy on their own private islands during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
Nightmarish scenes from films including “Midsommar,” “Parasite” and “The Wicker Man” were substituted into Kardashian West’s tweet by a number of creative Twitter users.
Others found parallels with Kardashian West’s party in the art world. Journalist Ronan Farrow tweeted a scene from “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” a painting by Dutch master Hieronymus Bosch, known for his depictions of hell.
And New York’s Museum of Modern Art felt that Matisse’s “Dance” best fit the description.
And the New Jersey government’s official Twitter profile used the saga to point to one of the state’s most renowned contributions to popular culture, posting an image of the cast of “The Sopranos” enjoying a day trip.
But many questioned the logistics of her event, given that Kardashian West neglected to provide details of what her guests’ “multiple health screens” consisted of.
And the star also received a share of more direct criticism for organizing the getaway at a time when many governments are organizing against non-essential travel, and as the economic impact of the pandemic causes millions to be put under financial pressure.
“Happy birthday. I hope someone got you an alphabet book as a gift, so you can learn to read the room,” actor and podcaster Kelechi Okafor wrote in a widely shared response to Kardashian West’s thread.