KONTROVERSY: The Kardashian family has been a group of controversial figures in the media and society.
By Michelle Boulos, Staff Writer
Nowadays, the word “Kardashian” has become synonymous with fame and glamour. The family, consisting of five daughters—two of whom are actually Jenners—, their mother, Kris Jenner and the rebirthed Caitlyn Jenner, have taken over the red carpet and the media since 2007, when their reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, started airing. But the question remains: are they worthy role models?
In the fashion world, perhaps they are, with their headlines of lip injections and leather dresses sported during pregnancies. As prominent figures in the world, they certainly dress to impress, and it isn’t surprising to see high schoolers walking through the hallways trying to imitate their style.
Otherwise, the family has raised eyebrows over numerous scandals. In fact, people still speculate as to why and how the family became famous, with theories ranging from the fact that the late father of the family, Rob Kardashian, was the lawyer of O.J. Simpson to a scandalous adult film involving a celebrity rapper and the middle child, Kim.
The leader of the pack, Kris Jenner, has built an empire with her family, although their reality show and constant display of beauty seems to be their only occupation. She has done far more publicity stunts than can be counted on a set of hands and feet to boost TV ratings and gain fame. The increasing extent of how fake their empire has become to the general public has made some serious issues less believable.
Take for example the transition of Caitlyn Jenner, who was formerly Bruce Jenner, Olympic gold medalist. As she is currently an important figure for the LGBT community, the fact that she emerged from the Kardashian family takes away her credibility, and plenty of skeptics out there believe the whole issue was just a publicity stunt.
In a more recent light, on the latest season of their show, they feature two of the sisters’ trip to Armenia and their visit to the Holy Lands of Jerusalem. By featuring these important places and events such as the Armenian Genocide and the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ on their show, it almost taints the image of these places and events, popularized only by the fact that “that is where the Kardashians went” or “that was what the Kardashians were talking about.” Some find a negative connotation in having their names tagged to certain things.
Maybe the only one who truly deserves credit for what she does is Kendall Jenner, oldest of the Jenner pair, who is a world-renowned model. The world has watched her career grow outside of the show, yet some people still think she bought that fame as well.
Nevertheless, people are taking the Kardashians way too seriously, and that stimulates a society where people think they can get by in the world with good looks and fame. The raid of the Kardashians may not decline for a while, though. One might even become the First Lady.