On way too many occasions I have been snubbed
for liking the Kardashians. Keeping up with that family is nothing to be
ashamed of. I’m not ashamed to admire them. In fact, I see them as positive
role models.
We all know how the Kardashian family first
got their share of the limelight. Robert Kardashian as a famous defence
attorney of O.J Simpson, and his daughter Kim as a friend of Paris Hilton. It was
in 2007 when Kim’s sex tape with former boyfriend Ray J was leaked, that the
Kardashian name was attached to celebrity.
The thing is, that sex tape was leaked four
years after it was made. The other thing is that the people that watched and
spoke about that sex tape are the ones that gave the attention to Kim. These people
now are the haters, the bitter people who snarl about it whenever the
Kardashians are in the celeb news being extravagant. You people started it.
If your sex tape was leaked, and your privacy
invaded then you’d file a lawsuit too.
If all of the drama you went through led to a
gateway of opportunity, you’d probably strut through it and see what it could
offer.
As all of this led to Keeping up with the Kardashians, the reality series following the
family on E! Entertainment. As an avid watcher of the show (all 11 series), and its spin offs,
from the start, I want to argue my defence for the family.
People ask, why do they need a show? Just for
living? Welcome to the world of popular culture. Is there a need for any TV
show really, except for entertainment? The Kardashians are entertaining. I mean, Kim took selfies as her sister went to
jail. They’re progressive, independent and unafraid to speak openly, as they provide
an insight into celebrity culture, mischief, scandal and above all, family
life. They have their struggles, too.
The Kardashian/Jenner siblings and their
partners, and mum Kris have taught me a lot about life as I’ve grown
respectively with Kendall Jenner.
The family on screen face problems of any
other family. There are arguments, fights and always drama. Though what
inspires me most is the sisterhood. Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie
always pull together to support one another. They’re each other’s biggest
inspirations, they feed the soul with tough love, compliments and shoulders to
cry on. It’s touching to see such strong encouragement girl to girl as they
stand up for each other against boys behaving badly and through personal
struggles. As well as being straight up brutally honest.
Kris too, that woman is overlooked. People say
that the Kardashian/Jenner’s don’t work. This actually angers me. These people
work. They design clothes, own stores, write books (rather badly but hey), have
fragrances and cosmetics, host radio shows, model, have acting cameos. Not to
mention all the shows and appearances. They make money, they’re businesswomen. And
you think these people are lazy? Lazy is how most of us act at university. Sorry,
but the majority of us roll out of bed at 11am and eat cereal out of the
packet.
On top of that, Kris also manages her family,
which is hardly an easy job.
Another thing that’s admirable is how this
family deals with everything life throws at them. We’ve seen addiction, divorce,
loss, health scares, break-ins, accidents and so much more. The family are
co-operative, adaptable people. Their lives move quickly and is constantly
watched, the pressure of that alone would drive me insane. Though they remain
human. They are optimistic people who refuse to let the press deter them from
being themselves.
Similarly, last year’s reveal of Caitlyn
Jenner draws attention to how human the family are. No matter what anybody
says, that change was big and would be for any family. They worked together and
stayed together.
The treatment that I dislike towards the
Kardashian/Jenner’s the most however is the negative comments about their
appearance. Of course I follow the family on Instagram. If I didn’t I’d probably
get out of bed an hour earlier every morning instead of catching up on what I miss.
We live in a world that is oh so passionate about body positivity, a new age of
feminism is being built around us, yet so many people are so quick to comment
negatively on their photos.
It became a trend to joke about Kylie’s lips
to the point where PEOPLE WERE HOSPITALISING THEMSELVES sucking cups to mimic
them. Really? The joke is truly on you. When 47%
of young girls are held back by low self-esteem, do we really need to
heighten this number by ripping every ounce to shreds? Just imagine yourself
posting a selfie where you believe to be slaying (and you probably are) and
within seconds there are nasty comments, vindictive, loud and brash in your
face. Then you get made into an internet meme? The second the Kardashians
have a slight lazy day, or go with an obscure outfit choice, they get just as
slaughtered? Where’s the respect for each other. To me, this breaks my heart.
Though highlights just how strong the family
are as individuals. They’re thick skinned and confident, they bare all for
magazine covers and for themselves and the healthy bodies that they work hard
for. Consequently breaking the internet. A feat in itself. They promote exercise and healthy eating, but reassure that it’s truly
okay to eat what we enjoy.
The thing about the Kardashians that make
them so real, is that they don’t sugar-coat the real flaws in their lives. Yes,
Kourtney has children with a guy who won’t commit, Khloe gobs off way too
easily, Kim has a shopping addiction and a string of ex-husbands, Kris is
controlling as heck, Kylie hated school and Rob is condemned for his yo-yo weight. Instead they
show how they live with them.
These are real people!
Now I don’t believe that it is right that
there are people starving in the world, that some achievements go unpublished,
that many live binary lives. Of course, their lifestyle is extreme. It’s
desirable, unbelievable and at times, ridiculous.
Though, nobody ever calls out people like Ant
and Dec (a spontaneous but fitting comparison). Their net worth is an
approximate £62m each. If you’re interested then research the Kardashian’s,
they’re not that far off.
The Kardashians could've just been a fad, they could have had their five minutes of fame after the sex tape but something kept them going. It was them.
The massive money surrounding the Kardashian
name was made from opportunities. Ask yourself, would you have taken them, too?
It takes guts. They've got them.
