Unpopular Opinion: The Kardashian’s ARE talented

I’ll admit it, I love the Kardashian’s. I’ve seen every episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashian’s, the spin-off shows in Miami and New York, follow the whole family on social media, and even own their books. However, I’m often criticized for this. Whether its from my friends or through tabloids or social media, I always hear the “they’re famous for doing nothing” line. This bothers me though because yes, they live a life of luxury from a reality show, but they are anything but talentless. The success of this family is a direct result of their business and marketing abilities which can be accredited to capitalizing on their family name, cross-promotion between platforms, and their constant communication with their fans

First, it’s important to discuss the family tree. Kris Jenner, the matriarch and infamous “momager” of the family, has six children. The first four, Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, and Robert Jr. were with her former husband, the late Robert Kardashian Sr. He was most known for defending OJ Simpson in the murder trial of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman (Robert Kardashian, 2015). Her other two children, Kendall and Kylie were with former husband Bruce Jenner, now known as Caitlyn Jenner. Bruce, step-father and father to the children, is most known for his world record setting decathlon at the 1976 Olympics (Caitlyn Jenner, 2015).

Having these well-known father figures in their lives has helped shape their business success. Robert Kardashian Sr. was not only a lawyer, but also a prominent business man who wanted to teach his children the value of an education but also how to make a living for themselves. He did this by cutting them off financially after they finished their education and encouraging them to work odd jobs to support themselves such as secretarial work at his company, personal assistants, and organizing closets (Kardashian et al., 2010, 71). Brue Jenner’s Olympic successes has taught the children the value of hard work and setting goals. Both Robert Kardashian Sr. and Bruce Jenner, brought the family names into the limelight, and the children were able to keep it there with the lessons they’d learned from their fathers. Their mother however, taught the kids about the importance of connections. Kris’s friendship with the outspoken Kathy Lee Gifford, led to the family’s reality show. Gifford noted how crazy the family was and said they needed a reality show. Kris wasted no time asking Ryan Seacrest his thoughts on the show and he loved it, thus leading to Keeping Up with the Kardashians on the E! Network (Kardashian et al., 2010, 102). These family successes contributed to keeping the Kardashian/Jenner name in the spotlight for a second generation.

The first season of Keeping Up was an instant success. Viewers poured in to watch the drama unfold, whether it was Kim losing her $75,000 diamond earing in the Bora Bora ocean, Khloe’s marriage to Lamar Odom after knowing him for only a month, or the birth of Kourtney’s three children (Longman, 2015). Because the show gave them the household name, they quickly used it to have success in the business field. They became brand ambassadors of QuickTrim diet supplements and Sketcher Shape-ups (Mulshine, 2014) while also making large sums of money just for attending events. They are promoting themselves while also promoting a brand. Because their faces are everywhere, they’ve also had success in the creation of their own products such as the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game, DASH Boutiques and their own clothing line, the Kardashian Kollection for Sears (Mulshine, 2014). By using their reality television success to expand into various markets, they’re able to increase their brand.

But let’s be real here, the Kardashians would be nothing without their loyal fans, and they know this. That is why they do whatever they can to connect with them. Whether it’s Kylie’s #iammorethan project of reposting fan’s Instagram photos to highlight everyone’s differences, responding to fans tweets or Kim and Khloe taking the time out of their trip to Armenia to talk with elderly women outside who are from the same town as their ancestors (Longman, 2015). This connection with their fans is important in order to build a broader consumer base for their products.

The Kardashian’s definitely take a lot of criticism for their successes, but they don’t let it get to them. Kim was asked about why people consider her and her family talentless she responded with "I have no idea why…I mean, acting and singing aren't the only ways to be talented. It's a skill to get people to really like you for you, instead of a character written for you by somebody else (Brockes, 2012).” Like Kim explains, there are so many reasons why people can be famous and people criticize the Kardashian family’s successes because it is different. They were able to capitalizing on their families’ legacy to begin their success and since then have worked tirelessly to cross-promote themselves and the brands they’ve built through communication with their fans. No matter how people achieve success, it takes hard work and I do not believe the Kardashian family receives enough credit for their successes. So to all the Kardashian haters...

Works Cited:

Brockes, E. (2012, September 7). Kim Kardashian: My Life as a Brand. Retrieved October 16, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/sep/07/kim-kardashian-life-as-brand

Caitlyn Jenner Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved October 16, 2015, from http://www.biography.com/people/bruce-jenner-307180

Kardashian, K., Kardashian, K., Kardashian, K. (2010). Kardashian Konfidential. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

Longman, H. (2015, March 17). The 24 Most Outrageous Things That Have Ever Happened On The Kardashians' Reality Shows. Retrieved October 16, 2015, from http://okmagazine.com/photos/best-moments-kardashian-reality-shows/photo/1001225082/

Mulshine, M. (2014, October 22). A Brief History of Kim Kardashian's Endorsement Deals. Retrieved October 16, 2015, from http://observer.com/2014/10/a-brief-history-of-kim-kardashians-endorsement-deals/

Robert Kardashian. (2015, July 16). Retrieved October 16, 2015, from http://hollywoodlife.com/celeb/robert-kardashian/