Jane Collins, Reporter
March 27, 2012
Filed under Arts and Entertainment
I watch my fair share of reality TV. From Keeping Up with the Kardashians to the Real Housewives series, I have a pretty wide spectrum of shows that thoroughly entertain me. I shared in the excitement of Kim and Kris's televised weddings specials, felt sadness while watching the girls discuss their father's death, and got pangs of jealousy watching 16-year-old Kendall get a brand new Range Rover. But my enjoyment of these people ends with the click of a remote control. I do not buy their awful auto-tuned music on iTunes, nor do I own any article of clothing from the Sears Kardashian Kollection. I've never waited in lines for hours to get a book signed by Kourtney, Khloe, or Kim. But tons of people do. The Kardashian empire raked in $65 million last year alone.
What's so attractive about these fake, plastic people – people who share every part of their lives for their fans' enjoyment? People who have video cameras follow them though divorce, jail time, and even into their bedrooms. Do people really care that much, or is it something else?
I have a theory. I think that the Kardashians provide the fun-in-the-sun lifestyle that most of America and the world has never experienced. Most 16-year-old girls won't get a lavish Sweet 16, but watching Kendall go through the process was fun. Most 30-year-old women won't spend and receive millions of dollars for a wedding extravaganza, but seeing it through their television screens provides some fulfillment. Most American families won't take several week long vacations to gorgeous resorts in Bora-Bora, but watching the Kardashians take dips in the crystal clear water and tan on the deck was enough for millions of people.
Then, there's the drama. America lives on the stuff. It's not a real political campaign without some underhanded tricks. Lindsay Lohan is only popular when she's on her way into a courthouse or having a breakdown outside of a club. Living on drama starts in middle school and it never stops. And each half an hour episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, or Khloe and Kim Take Miami, or Kourtney and Kim Take New York, includes a new topic of gossip. Kim's marriage, Khloe's lack of a pregnancy, Kourtney's baby-daddy, Kendall's birth control, and Kylie's boyfriend; each episode has something new every week.
At the end of the day, I don't think the Kardashians are tearing apart society with their antics and "messages" portrayed on the show. They may have monopolized the 18-24 demographic, but I don't think anyone is watching Kim's Fairytale Wedding and designing their wedding to be just like hers. The Kardashians live in their own world, and we're all just watching from our TV screens.
