Liana Riley
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Liana Riley is a political science sophomore and Mustang News columnist. These views do not necessarily reflect the opinion or editorial coverage of Mustang News.
Kim Kardashian is smarter than you. As she sits on her throne made of Swarovski crystals and your childhood dreams, she meticulously plans out her next attack. This time, she will be creating a real-life replica of her ass, which will yield a modest $500 million.
If you are as easily amused as I am, then you go nuts for the antics of the Kardashians. Anytime I tell people I respect Kim Kardashian, they look at me as if I frequent in satanic worship (which I do). I believe she is far more than the succubus she is known to be. In her post-Ray J years, she has become the juggernaut of all things pop culture. Can you name any other high-profile celebs still profiting off of a sex tape? (And no, John Edwards doesn’t count.)
Her fame is commonly seen as a fluke; pure luck in the most undeserving of circumstances; the rich becoming obscenely richer. Au contraire! Every bit of it was thoroughly planned with devotion.
Although sexual exploitation is not condoned in my book, Kim dominated her rise to fame. She took advantage of the public’s fascination with her and capitalized on her 15 minutes between the sheets. There wasn’t an inch of skin, personal boundary or relationship she left unexposed. Ethically, it’s objectionable. In Hollywood, it’s just business.
Kim K. then build a brand — a lucrative, albeit exploitative brand – by throwing her genetically blessed kin into the mix. Their tawdry escapades have brilliantly piqued the public’s interest through an unprecedented account of spin-offs, narcissistic Instagram posts and three highly profiled marriages.
I often wonder, why do we resent Kim so deeply? Why do we play Kim Kardashian: Hollywood for two hours and then proceed to relentlessly bash her on Twitter? Why do people passionately protest her profiteering more than any other celebrity? This is exactly what she wants, you simpletons. Kim loves her haters.
Even if you despise Kim Kardashian as much as Justin Beiber likes to drive drunk, she is only a symptom, not the problem.
The 21st century has ushered in a surplus of Kardashian-esque television, easy to make and easy to replace. The stars are botex-injected divorcees, F-list celebrities and the cast of “The Bachelor,” where straight white people find love. These people are caricatures, helping us escape our humdrum lives.
It speaks volumes that we are heavily entertained by artificial narratives and revel in stupidity. The irony, however, lies in the omnipotence of this stupidity. As these shows actively deplete our brain cell count, we get a glimpse into the elusive wealth of the “Beverly Hills” Weezer once sang about. This intrigues us and provides pure entertainment value, the kind we will tune in weekly for. Kim Kardashian and her family have been profiting off this for years.
When we feel disgusted by Kim’s expenditures and $17 million wedding payout, we are actually feeding the monster. When we indulge, whether with hatred or fascination, we are sending her to the bank and onto our news feeds.
Either laugh at her or with her. I choose the latter. Honestly, I’m still not convinced she isn’t just a hologram engineered by Ryan Seacrest.
This has been Liana Riley, hopeful that you have enjoyed my musings on the intricacies of the Kardashian Klan and looking forward to supplying you all with a heavy dose of my pop culture wisdom.