As much as it pains me to say, I watch Keeping up with the Kardashians every Sunday faithfully. In 2007 the hit reality show aired on E! Entertainment television channel. I remember tuning in and not understanding why this family had their own TV show. As I watched each episode I found myself enthralled with such a glamourized lifestyle. The family is made up of Bruce Jenner who was an Olympic gold medalist and Kris Jenner who was formally married to Robert Kardashian. Robert was OJ Simpson’s attorney. After Robert passed away of cancer Kris Jenner and her three older daughters Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe decided to own and manager two clothing stores. This caught my attention because what young girl doesn’t want to be beautiful and own the cutest boutique in town?
Season one of Keeping up with the Kardashians came across as “real” reality TV to me. They aired the family during good times and in bad. Whether they were fighting or happy it seemed real. I did realize they were wealthy but I could still relate to their problems and everyday life. The first picture I posted above is the season one photo which shows the family in front of their California ranch. As the show became even more popular so did the family. The two youngest girls Kendall and Kylie Jenner are now 16 and 14. They have become a fixed part of the TV show as well.
As I got older and wiser I realized the show is not as “real” as it once seemed to be. The second picture I posted is of the season six photo shoot. It is a goddess themed picture and makes each of the women look even more unlike the normal "American family". There has been numerous spin off shows that have come from Keeping up with the Kardashians. The main one is called Kourtney and Kim take New York. The season just ended last week and with the finale, came lots of rumors. The recent information that has leaked is about Kim (The main Kardashian, partly because of her recent divorce from Kris Humphries). It was reported that Kim and her mom Kris reenacted a moment in the car that was supposedly recorded when they were in Dubai. The two women were spotted in the same outfits going into the same car in LA that was recorded previously Dubai. They acted out a scene of the two discussing Kim and husband Kris and how they weren’t getting along. It was later discovered that this was done in order to protect Kim and make her look better than her EX Kris Humphries.
This put the straw on the camel’s back for me. It was then I realized that for years I have been watching a reality show at its worse. This was an everyday family that got lucky with a TV show. They are making people believe that their lives are real and that it’s normal to wake up and be that successful and popular. I believe it is extremely easy to be seduced by the illusion of reality TV because as humans we get so caught up in excitement of famous people’s lives that we tend to forget that it is NOT the norm. After realizing the truth behind this particular show it makes me view the world in a new way. I tend to be more curious. I do not believe what I see right away. I tend to be more open to my surroundings now, which I think is a positive thing. In the movie we watched in class called Media Impact they discussed how influential a movie or TV show can be and now after doing this blog post I couldn't agree more with them.
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