Why Kim Kardashian’s Fan Base Is Accountable For Her Out-Of-Touch Narrative
With just a month left to the much-awaited launch of the new Hulu show, “The Kardashians,” the three sisters and their mother Kris Jenner, are promoting the show through social media, a newly launched trailer, and more recently, an interview with the Variety Magazine that has become the root cause of internet brouhaha.
When asked about their career in the entertainment business and what advice they would give to young women in the working world, Kim eagerly said:
“Get your f**king ass up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days.”
She then followed it up with: “You have to surround yourself with people that want to work. Have a good work environment where everyone loves what they do because you have one life. No toxic work environments. And show up and do the work.”
While it initially sounded like Kim was about to provide some awe-inspiring and motivational words, her advice came across as off-handed and completely out of touch. It seemed heedless since the audience more likely to read or watch the interview is the very same fanbase that has vastly contributed to their wealth.
And as expected, the internet, more specifically, TikTok users, had plenty to say about it.
But how did Kim come to this profound advice?
The Kardashians were always a part of the 1%
The Kardashians were always well off. But what’s more, the family has long been incredibly tactical and opportunistic. Jenner gets credited majorly for taking things like Kim’s sex tape and creating a full-fledged career out of it.
What’s the saying?
“The devil works hard, but Kris Jenner works harder.”
But does that totally discredit Kim’s hard work? No, not at all. Kim gave her entire family lucrative careers by turning an unconventional launch into stardom and going mainstream with it. Kim turned to social media apps like Twitter and Instagram when they were just becoming a thing and used every opportunity to reach and engage with her fans to continue growing and fostering her community.
While Kim was busy building her social media following, Jenner signed her up to endorse every deal possible, from cupcakes to weight loss sponsorships to Carl’s Jr ads. Kim’s face was everywhere, including on our TVs at home, through the reality show that started it all, “Keeping Up With The Kardashians.”
“Keeping Up With The Kardashians”
But wait? How did they get the show?
In an interview with Haute Living magazine, the show’s executive producer, Ryan Seacrest, revealed that he was inspired by reality shows like MTV’s The Osbournes and wanted to replicate their success. After asking casting directors to find families interested in participating, the Kardashians came up as an option. So he sent a cameraman to film them all having a barbecue one Sunday afternoon, and that, it turns out, was all it took.
But while the Kardashians may have had a head start, their approach to stardom, relevancy and long-term wealth-building has been methodical and very welcoming of the trial and error approach.
From the Kardashian Kard, a prepaid Mastercard that never took off due to its high fees, to curated fashion subscription service, ShoeDazzle, to a series of Kardashian/Jenner online mobile apps that were later discontinued, the Kardashians have dipped their toes in several lines of businesses.
But it wasn’t until the last few years that the family started to lean into projects they were passionate about. Kylie Jenner launched her own beauty brand, which was later acquired by Coty, granting her the status of the first billionaire in the family. Khloé Kardashian launched her own denim line, Good American; Kendall went on her way to become a model. Kim founded KKW Beauty and Skims and became part owner in Yeezy with now ex-husband, Ye, which later made her a billionaire. Kourtney even decided to make work a priority and started her own lifestyle company, Poosh.
But now that the Kardashians have all found business ventures they are passionate about, one can’t help but question how they got there, to begin with. At least, to this magnitude of success.
The world has been googling Kim for a decade
Kim did something many other celebrities have failed to do. She became the person seemingly everyone wanted to know about. In 2011, 2012 and then in 2015, Kim took the crown for most-searched person on the internet.
Kim then capitalized on the opportunity by publishing a 352-page book called Selfish, which comprised entirely of selfies she has taken over the years.
That said, her success and her family’s success has been largely credited to her humongous fanbase.
The Kardashians have also mastered the art of controlling the narrative, shying away from any bad media, such as underpaying their staff or surrogate and have even managed to leverage lousy media coverage to fuel their ratings. In essence, they’ve gamed the system when it comes to getting people to like them. At the very least, this family has done immeasurable work to stay in the media and keeping people updated on their lives, whether they wanted to or not.
Okay, so who was Kim talking to when she said: “Get your f**king ass up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days.”
While the question asked was specific to women in business, her comments have caused uproar across the board.
Kim is a millennial; a generation that is arguably the hardest working in the workforce today and one that has been more willing to put up with painfully long work hours. This, however, changed during the Great Resignation. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employees between ages 30 and 45 years exhibited the highest resignation rates, with an average increase of more than 20% between 2020 and 2021.
Then there’s Gen Z, a generation that works hard but only when they want to, according to a study. This generation is known to set the boundaries, something millennials have been notorious for failing to do. Gen Z is also more vocal about their core values and expects the brands they engage with to take similar stances.
And yes, of course, there are the women, as the question was pertaining to. Her remarks particularly seemed out of touch to the women who were not born into generational wealth (i.e., most American women) or have access to the resources that the 1% have, such as the ability to afford a staff of nannies, while pursuing a law degree, running a billion-dollar business or two, filming a reality show and posting scammy Instagram giveaways.
Why the Kardashian fanbase or anyone who has purchased their products should take some accountability for her out-of-touch remarks
Anyone who has continued to watch their show(s), purchased their products, googled for family updates, or commented on their social posts has helped them stay relevant. And that relevancy has been key to their ability to maintain their wealth, which has now amounted to billions.
As long as consumers continue to show support, the more likely it is that they will continue to grow out of touch with the economic realities of the American middle class.
And yes, even talking about Kim’s divorce and the unhealthy shenanigans around it, keeps the family relevant.
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