After a leaked unfiltered photo went viral online, Khloe Kardashian defended her right to edit photos of herself, saying that years of getting her looks analysed and compared to her sisters “has been too much to bear.”

In reaction to news that her staff was attempting to erase the unedited bikini shot from social media, the reality star shared a video and a message on Instagram. In her video she is wearing underwear, hiding her chest with her arm, and says it proves her body is not photoshopped. “This is me and my body unretouched and unfiltered,” she said.

In a lengthy statement, she spoke openly about her struggles with her body image and the pressure to be perfect in a life in the spotlight.

In truth, the pressure, constant ridicule and judgement my entire life to be perfect and to meet other’s standards of how I should look has been too much to bear,” Kardashian said.

“‘Khloe is the fat sister.’ ‘Khloe is the ugly sister.’ ‘Her dad must not be her real dad because she looks so different.’ ‘The only way she could have lost that weight must have been from surgery.’ Should I go on?”

After years of having “every single flaw and imperfection” analyzed, Khloe said she had been taught to believe she was unattractive. She was not asking for sympathy, she said, but “to be acknowledged for being human”.

Kardashian added: “My body, my image and how I choose to look and what I want to share is my choice. It’s not for anyone to decide or judge what is acceptable or not anymore.”