For some of us, she’s addicting. For others, if we never see her again, it would be too soon. We know the face, the body, the derriere, the name, the tape and the brand. But what do we really think of Kim Kardashian?
She’s a socialite and celebutante who fancies herself a businesswoman and mogul. She has legions of fans who swear by her and a following of haters who think of her as an op
portunist and a slut.
For those who don’t know, let’s break it down. Kardashian appeared on the scene in 2007 as Paris Hilton’s right arm. Barely resembling the bombshell she is now, she was known as R&B singer Brandy’s stylist (so she did have a real job) who also happened to be dating her younger brother, Ray J. Her background revealed that her father was the late Robert Kardashian, famed defense attorney on the OJ Simpson case, and her stepfather is Olympian Bruce Jenner. Soon after being spotted gallivanting around town with Hilton, a sex tape of Kardashian and her then-boyfriend, Ray J, began making the rounds on the Internet. She reportedly tried to fight Vivid Entertainment’s release of the tape initially, but ended up settling with them for millions.
Overnight, it seemed Kardashian had become hot stuff. Everyone was talking and her status in Hollywood began to rise. All of a sudden, she was posing nude in Playboy, she had her own reality show (with her family), she released a workout tape, fragrances, a boutique, appeared in several magazines, films, and television shows, had a brief stint on Dancing With the Stars, and now a song. Her reality show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, showed how she and her pimp—er, mother—turned the privileged, sex-tape making sidekick into a recognizable brand. We’ve seen that Kim’s mother doesn’t really have any standards for her own daughter, as long as she’s making that money, so we’ve realized that maybe she can’t even help it.
By some, she was applauded for being so hardworking and smart enough to extend her 15 minutes as long as she has, all while making major bank. Others roll their eyes at the manner in which she shamelessly capitalized on her privilege and sex tape scandal, claiming she’s still only “famous for being famous.” Recently, Kardashian was featured on the cover of Glamour magazine and made a good point: if someone was being offered all the things she was, wouldn’t that person do the same?
Although she pleads her case that she’d be a fool not to take advantage of these and that she does work really hard non-stop, I still can’t take her seriously.
Her points are valid and she can’t help that she’s more privileged than the average person, but to me, the most inspiring businessperson is not someone who has had opportunities just fall into their lap. They’ve gone out and hustled for what they want. They have a core genius, which means they have something that they are incredibly good at, a skill that they’ve honed, and have made great use of it. I ask you, what is her skill? At one point, one could have made the argument that it was fashion. But she hasn’t made much use of that lately.
The word businesswoman implies a positive connotation of a hardworking, successful, respectablewoman (see, Oprah). But there’s a clear difference in people who are inspired by Oprah and those who are inspired by Kardashian. Think back to several months ago when Laurence Fishburne’s daughter, Montana, appeared on the scene amidst the release of her own sex tape. Her goal: to use the sex tape to brand herself and get more opportunities. Her inspiration, she said: Kim Kardashian. Now, that’s not Kim’s fault, but it certainly doesn’t help her case in being taken more seriously. I’ve already met too many women on Temple’s campus who idolize her and aspire to be “just like her.” That to me is a detriment to women obtaining college degrees and using their minds.
So, my final opinion: I respect Kim’s hustle (and I occasionally watch the shows), but at the end of the day, there’s very little to be idolized there. How could she possibly explain to her children and the young girls who may idolize her the means by which she acquired her success? It’s entertaining and cute when Kim does it, but if your child said she wanted to be just like Kim Kardashian, you’d probably take her to therapy. We’re all entitled to our opinions so what do you think?