Why keep up with the vacuous Kardashians?

REUTERS

DIRE DYNASTY: Khloe, Kendall, Kim, Kylie and Kourtney Kardrashian live their shallow family life on TV.

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OPINION: Kim Kardashian and her clan (or should that be klan?) only came on my radar during the most recent school holidays when I discovered my teenagers glued to the television.

Frustrated by their inertia, I enquired as to what was keeping them indoors. Keeping Up With The Kardashians, I was told (as if I was a complete moron).

Up until that moment in my life, I thought Kardashians were fictional aliens on Star Trek. Now I know they are in fact a family of non-fictional nobodies from Los Angeles called Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Kendall, Kylie and Kris who have their own reality television show.

Since my recent epiphany, I have come to realise that this family is strangely ubiquitous. In addition to the television show, I now regularly notice Kardashians on multiple magazine covers near the supermarket checkout and this week, pack-leader, Kim and one of her K-named sisters are in Australia to spruik their "fashion" label and attend, among other things, the spring racing carnival in Melbourne. One has to ask oneself, why do these women command so much of the world's media attention and why on earth are they famous?

It is extraordinary to witness the rise of voyeurism in our culture. Facebook and Twitter allow us to discreetly follow the sometimes inane ravings of our friends and acquaintances minute by minute, blow by blow.

Reality television programs like Keeping Up With The Kardashians and their family spin off shows such as Khloe and Lamar, enable us to follow the day to day activities of complete nobodies.

It seems the Kardashians are famous solely because, for some bizarre reason, they are prepared to live a significant portion of their lives in front of cameras. That alone has given them international celebrity status and, no doubt, pots of money.

Keeping Up With The Kardashians promotes the hollow notion of celebrity, over-the-top extravagant "fairytale" weddings and finding "Mr Right". It is about attending the opening of envelopes, of being given a diamond engagement ring that would feed and educate whole villages in Africa for a decade, surgical enhancements, and the importance of having a different designer handbag for every designer outfit. It is a shameless, diabolical promotion of the kitsch, aspirational brand that is Kardashian. It is shallow, vicarious living, for the seriously vacuous (sorry kids) masses.

Speaking of kids, what do the Kardashians teach, by their actions and lifestyle, the millions of kids around the world who, like my own, choose to ingest this drivel? Do these dubious role models have young women believing that if they are pretty they might be invited to the Melbourne Cup one day, can expect to travel around the world first class, be "papped" constantly and might eventually hook up with a basketball star who will look after them for life, or perhaps 72 days. Do young men who watch these women think that in order to get the girl of their dreams they have to be at least six foot two and that providing her with anything smaller than 10 carats would be deemed a sign of failure?

There is no denying that in spite of the veil of shallowness, the Kardashian women are business savvy, thanks primarily to their omnipotent, mega-monster-manager-mother, Kris. The frustrating thing about the television show, the media hype and promotional palaver that follows them constantly is that not enough of the underlying rat-cunning intelligence that has led to their so-called stardom is immediately discernible. No doubt that is a very deliberate part of the media strategy.

Of course the simple answer is not to watch the show or read the articles. That's all good and well, but the reality is that millions of people follow the lives of the Kardashians. I take my hat (and fascinator) off to them for successfully and ruthlessly feeding the insatiable appetite of an audience hungry for news and information about a bunch of fabulous nobodies.

Emma McDonald is a lawyer and freelance writer.

- National Times

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danny sims   #8   03:54 pm Nov 02 2011

the devils wear prada

ooh   #7   03:52 pm Nov 02 2011

The only claim to fame that I could see with this so called family is that the "mega monster manger mother" is married to Bruce Jenner an Olympian decathlete of the past.

Tali   #6   02:17 pm Nov 02 2011

they are absolutely nothing but greedy people! and Kim is a walking plastic doll!!

Leon   #5   01:13 pm Nov 02 2011

At least "Girls of the Playboy Mansion" had gratuitous nudity to keep viewers interested.

Lonewolf   #4   12:19 pm Nov 02 2011

Brilliant Star Trek reference.

Scott   #3   12:16 pm Nov 02 2011

If I wanted to watch rubbish like this on TV I'd watch TVNZ. Oh wait..I don't.

Gus   #2   11:58 am Nov 02 2011

I'd never heard of them till the recent 72 day marriage of one was in the news. TVNZ7 provides alternatives worth watching - and Key and the Philistines are going to pull the plug on that. God defend New Zealand!

LobkeRose   #1   11:20 am Nov 02 2011

Love it! Great comment and happy to read I am not the only one not getting this 'famous' bunch of silly women!