People are always shocked when I tell them that I like the Kardashians and that I watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians (and that includes the spinoffs). I’ve spent my fair share of time watching the shows and being invested in their lives. In the wake of Kylie Jenner’s pregnancy and birth announcement, I thought maybe I should explain my feelings towards them once and for all.
My parents were never those people that would restrict what their children would watch based on their age. I don’t remember how I started watching Keeping Up, but I do know that I have been for a long time. Even when I say to my dad now that I’m watching the show, he’s not a fan. My mom wasn’t either, originally, but now she’ll watch with me every once in a while and I even sent her the Kylie’s birth announcement. Either way, I’ve allowed the Kardashians to be a part of my life for a while now.
Maybe I started watching the show because I thought it made me mature and cool—I don’t really know. I watch it now because I want to. I take the time to. I pay attention to the news about the Kardashians because I’m interested in it. Sure, the way the show came to fruition and why the family name became famous isn’t necessarily ideal, but people have to admit that it did exactly that. Kim truly was handed a big pile of lemons and the family sure made lemonade out of it. Over the years, their time in the spotlight increased dramatically and they’ve gone from relying on Kim’s presence in the celebrity world to Kylie, the youngest sister, now being worth more than all of the other siblings. However, being in the spotlight more means that every inch of their life is exposed—both good and bad. All the good parts of their life aren’t just on display, so are the things they’d rather keep private.
The Kardashians have endured their fair share of scandals over the years. To name a few: Khloé got arrested, Kourtney and Scott’s relationship, Kim’s divorce, Kim’s sex tape, Kendall’s modeling controversies, Kylie’s lip fillers and the family’s drama with Caitlyn. We know about all of these things because they’ve been honest about them. Kourtney has been very straightforward about her tumultuous relationship with Scott, Khloé has long struggled with her weight in the public eye and Kim openly speaks about her psoriasis and her robbery. I know a lot of people won’t agree with me, but I have a basic respect for them because they’ve exposed their insecurities and flaws to the world.
Besides this, they’ve done some pretty cool things. Something that stands out to me is the time that Kourtney, Kim and Khloé visited a Planned Parenthood to learn more about what they do. In my eyes, that’s pretty respectable to me. They took the time to educate themselves on an important issue, so that they could form an opinion only after they had gathered as much information as possible.
I’m not saying people have to like the Kardashians as much as I do, I’m not saying people have to like them at all. All I’m saying is maybe it’s worth taking a second look at them before judging them.