If the Kardashian family’s influence could be likened to a presidential bid, they’ve won the game — we just gave them four more years.
“Keeping Up with the Kardashians” — a cable program that regularly chronicles the lives of the family we love to hate — has just reached a groundbreaking $100 million agreement with E!, extending their reality reign for four more seasons and allowing Kourtney, Khloé, Kim, Kendall, Kylie and the rest of the Kardashian clan to insert themselves into American households, whether through our televisions or our touch screens. If this deal has taught us anything, it’s that securing longevity on the small screen and running a successful political campaign are not as different as you might think — both require publicity, popularity and power, devices that the famous family has cinched tremendously in this decade alone.
Let us put these three P’s into perspective: Kim has 27 million followers on Instagram, just a few hundred thousand less than the population of Malaysia. Kendall, Kylie and Khloé follow her with 20.1, 18.2 and 18 million followers, respectively. Compare that to Obama’s paltry 3.6 million.
Even though some might disagree, reality television is truly a guilty pleasure — it serves as a method of immersion, exposing us to the trappings of wealth we can’t hope to attain. We might not boast multiple Range Rovers and sleep in lavish Californian mansions, but we can certainly watch Kim lose a $300,000 ring or fly to Vietnam in her private jet on demand. And though many Americans object to the concept of “famous for being famous” or might consider the events behind Kim’s meteoric rise to fame questionable (hint: it was because of a sex tape), the numbers speak for themselves — people pay attention to the Kardashians, and they’re here to stay.
The family’s screen presence, coupled with how effortless they make achieving celebrity status seem, leads some Americans to regard them as role models. Their well-crafted, meticulously advertised image exemplifies the American Dream of the 21st century: having it all while doing absolutely nothing. Kim’s lifestyle is, in actuality, far from being easily accessible, but viewers continue to lust after her “famous for being famous” persona, hoping that they too can balance a ditzy demeanor with a multi-million dollar empire one day. To many, Kim and her siblings made it big without lifting a finger, so why can’t they?
While chasing what can be considered a lofty dream should by no means be discouraged, hoping to become models or beauty queens like Kendall and Kylie without being willing to put in the work can be a recipe for disaster. There is no question of whether or not careful labor occurs behind the scenes — Kim and her sisters are indeed entrepreneurs, Kendall is a budding yet established runway model and Kris is a prized manager and executive producer — but leisure is portrayed first and foremost on the show, giving us viewers an inappropriate outlook on how life should be lived.
There is no harm in changing the channel to E! and enjoying “Kourtney & Khloé Take the Hamptons.” The Kardashians are witty, funny and aware of how they present themselves to the media. Modeling yourself after an elusive lifestyle, however, is a waste of time. Set goals, but be aware that hard work precedes success. Even Kim agrees that emulating the family isn’t the greatest idea: “There’s a lot of baggage that comes along with our family,” she once said, eyes wide in a confessional. “But it’s like … Louis Vuitton baggage.”