Updated June 28, 2023: The Kardashian women are like an NBA team, and they are playing to win. What was the phrase that Kanye told Kim — that she will be nothing without him? Men tend to say those words to strong women, when they are totally fed up and eyeing the door.

Just look at the exposure Kim Kardashian drives on Instagram. It’s phenomenal!

In one hour on Monday, Kim Kardashian’s personal IG page logged 899, 087 likes and the Skims IG page 14,332 in the new Steven Klein [IG] campaign of Skims FAUX LEATHER & SCUBA swimwear dropping June 27 at noon on the East Coast.

Stopping by Kim Kardashian’s IG just now the 899,087 Likes on the Swimwear drop is up to 3,057, 875.

Additionally, Kim posted the cover of her new Vogue Italia fashion story — and it has 1, 593, 665 Likes. On the Vogue Italia IG, Kim’s cover has 31,453 Likes.

You can register to buy the Skims FAUX LEATHER & SCUBA collection online, when it drops Tuesday.

If Victoria’s Secret is stumbling like a drunken sailor with the message that the Victoria’s Secret brand is undefinable — read my recent commentary — Kim Kardashian and her team are now valued at $3.2 billion.

Timing is everything in retail marketing, and as AOC has noted multiple times, sensuality and sizzle are back. Yes, on her terms. Does anyone seriously believe that Kim Kardashian — and the whole clan, for that matter — doesn’t stand for female empowerment?

We add Wednesday [June 28, 2023] several new Skims images.

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Apparently, a lot of women like Skims way better than Victoria’s Secret these days. And Skims is just as diverse and committed to larger sizes as VS — although no one stands around with the all-options checklist on every photo shoot.

As a leader in #MeToo, I never suggested that sex appeal was destructive to women. I said that women should be in charge of our own sexuality and express it as we wish — if at all.

To compare Skims swim and Victoria’s Secret swim, in one hour just now the Skims Faux Leather and Scuba drop of 14,332 can be compared to these two suits at 14,909 since May 31, this VS swim, comparing black to black of 13,747 since June 4 of these VS swim lovelies.

I’m not being harsh. Rather as someone who knows Victoria’s Secret inside out after a decade in the business, I’m trying to save Victoria’s Secret from themselves.

Victoria’s Secret’s chief diversity officer Lydia Smith said at the World Retail Congress in Barcelona recently that there’s nothing to worry about here.

“We like to say that we’re transforming from the inside out,” Smith explained, reminding people that Victoria’s Secret can’t be totally rebuilt as the most “woke” [my word] brand in America overnight. Note that Miss Anne has nothing against “woke”. I just bought the url “Woke Barbie” for myself.

Let’s all hold hands and hope the lights are still on, when VS is finished with this grand slam transformation.

Victoria’s Secret stock has fallen 47% in the year to date, while the S&P 500 SPX has gained 14%. Victoria’s Secret had sales of $1.4 billion in first quarter 2023 and only made $3.8 million — a 95% decrease in earnings.

Meanwhile Kim Kardashian is killing it, putting money in the Skims bank account. She has investors lining up for the next round of Skims financing. The damn dame knows what she’s doing, that’s for certain.

"As a photographer, I am inspired by collaborating with icons," Steven Klein said in a press release. "Icons exert a magnetic pull that allows the viewer to superimpose a dream reality, a kind of hyper existence. Kim speaks this language."

Steven Klein has photographed Kim Kardashian before — including as Jackie Kennedy — but these images are vintage Klein and he must have felt just a little bit deviant shooting them. A bit of verboten gives most people a little bit of tingle.