Reality television has become an increasingly prevalent and popular form of media in modern television. Essentially serial documentaries featuring all number of subjects and following a group of people or a single individual throughout their lives, the most successful reality shows follow washed-up celebrities or socialites and their drama-filled, skillfully-edited lives. Keeping Up with the Kardashians is one such show, following the lives of Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian and their family as they live and work in Hollywood. The show follows the millennial cliché of “famous for being famous,” as the sisters have already achieved fame through their connections and nepotism, acting as socialites and fashionistas; their conflicts typically revolve around highly-emotional catfighting and family drama, and their interests are materialistic at their core. The appeal of the show plays into George Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory, which states that television possesses the power to shape our opinions and attitudes toward the world; the show places a voyeuristic value on meaningless drama for its own sake, and the Hollywood lifestyle of haute couture clothing and exclusive clubs/venues (Gerbner t al., 1980).
The Kardashians have become their own myths and icons at this point; they are cultural symbols for our consumerist lifestyle, as their primary motivators are money and the possession of wealth. The presence of Kanye West (Kim’s husband and famous rapper) as a motivator for watching the show revolves around his status as a rap music icon, and Kim becomes an icon by association. Their power and wealth are the things that make them iconic, and viewers are motivated to want to be like them. There is also a racial component, as the fact these characters are of mixed race (and heavily immerse themselves in urban, hip-hop culture as well) and therefore have an expectation by the audience to fulfill their role of being combative and catty (Squires, 2008).
References
Gerbner, G., Gross, L., Morgan, M., & Signorielli, N. (1980). The mainstreaming of America:
Violence profile no. 11. Journal of Communication, 10-25.
Keeping up with the Kardashians. (2007- ). E! Entertainment.
Squires, C. (2008). Tryin' to make it real—but real compared to what? Critical Studies in Media
Communication, 25, 434–440.
