“The Kardashians” or originally “Keeping up with the Kardashians” is an American reality television show about the personal lives of the family. The show starrers include- Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, the Jenner siblings Kylie and Kendall, along with their parents Kris Kardashian and Bruce Jenner, later, Caitlyn Jenner. Kris Jenner at the age of 51 premiered the show on 14 October 2007 and it is still going on. The show peeps into the personal lives of the characters and their real-life dramas. The show insanely got into spotlight through the influencer and media personality, Kim Kardashian. The reality show not only got Kim into fame but also her whole family. Kylie and Kendall at a very young age caught media’s attention.
The “reality “of the reality show
After the premier of the show, it became a sensational topic in the media world. The show has been through a lot of criticism since it began. Kim Kardashian sold a pornographic video of herself and her ex-boyfriend, Ray J. Some sources suggest that it was a tactic to enable the show rise to stardom, and it did.
Kim Kardashian has always been a controversial influencer, and it is said that she also pulled her family into controversies through their family drama. Every reality show is based on its reviews and the reviews for this show do not have a good response. However, no matter what the criticism is this show still has a large number of TRP which makes it compatible. Even though the family is judged and is a topic of gossip, the people enjoy watching their drama which helps them to earn. This reality show has made them so influential that they are also called “human brands”; the ‘Kardashians’ have themselves become a brand. All the Kardashians have their own businesses and earn in billions, which makes them intimidating and appealing to people. They influence fans in areas like beauty, fashion, commerce, and lifestyle. The show has also been part of meme material but still their fame remains as it is.
Some of the most controversial events of the show were- Kim and Kanye West’s breakup, it also led to the downfall of Kim; another one was of the gender surgery of Bruce Jenner who turned into Caitlyn Jenner which brought a heavy heartbreak to Kris Jenner. The couple is not together anymore. The show is also criticised for showing relationships and divorce as a shallow thing. It is also seen in the show that Caitlyn Jenner is not respected by the Kardashian sisters even though she tries to show them support. The public also slams the characters for being “plastic from inside” and naming it real.
Is it worth the hype?
The answer is ‘no’ and it is made clear by the audience. No matter how rich and famous the celebrity is, their followers are going to get bored if the same drama is repeatedly shown. The reality show with such a large audience has came down in TRP recently. The reason being- the same family drama, all the stupid stuff about break ups and patch-ups, about kids and houses and luxuries has bored the minds now.
The characters are being called as ‘dumb’ and ‘naïve’ to repeat their mistakes and dramatize their lives for the sake of publicity. It has disgusted the people. It is also said that this show is not even the ‘reality’ and that it is scripted and fake. Recently Kim Kardashian’s fake crying became a meme on social media. She and her sisters Khloe and Kourtney were also trolled for many dramatic episodes. Some harsh reviews like- “this show must stop”, “why doesn’t this family just leave”, “dumb, dumber, dumbest” are seen on social media and review pages. The show was expected to be more transparent and realistic but it broke the expectations.
Written by- Mishti Gadhavi | Edited by- Apurv Nayak
