POP CULTURE Big Booties and Cash Cows The Undeniable Influence of Kim Kardashian... By Kurt Gilbert As a full-time fan of Kanye West, I’ve had to put up with my fair share of Kim Kardashian-related news over the past couple of years. Admittedly, before Kimye was a ‘thing’, I paid very little attention to the camera-hungry stylings that placed Kim on the A-List of celebrity culture. I had the same fundemental problem with her that so many other people do; I couldn’t reconcile the fact that she’s made silly amounts of money by airing her dead-end, first world ‘problems’ on TV, while far more important issues are crammed into a four minute slot on late-night news. That’s the case in America, at least. What’s important to note at this point is that I’ll never ride a bandwagon purely because everyone else is on it, and neither should you. I’ve learnt to question everything in order to create an informed and justifiable opinion on whatever I may be talking about, and Kim Kardashian is no exception. For that very reason, I decided to take a deeper look into the life and times “Granted, her field is pretty much defined by being in the right place, wearing the right clothes, and laughing at the right jokes, at the right time, but that doesn’t detract from the simple fact that she owns it.” of young Kimmy, and what I concluded from that brief foray and indeed, how I feel now, may come as a shock to anyone who knows me and/or has read anything I’ve written over the past couple of years. It’s like this – I think Kim Kardashian absolutely deserves her place on our TV screens, Instagram feeds, Facebook newsfeeds and magazine covers, and here’s why: She’s not as stupid as you think. Mrs. Kardashian-West is, in fact, one of the most savvy, ingenious individuals in her ‘field’ right now. Granted, her field is pretty much defined by being in the right place, wearing the right clothes, and laughing at the right jokes, but that doesn’t detract from the simple fact that she owns it. If for one minute you think that anyone can do what she’s done as long as they have a little bit of luck and rich enough parents, let me be the first person to tell you that you’re more dumb than you think she is. There are plenty of super-rich people who would love to be in Kim’s shoes, so why aren’t more trust fund heiresses and insurance money girls marrying the biggest musicians in the world, or getting special endorsements from fashion labels like Dolce&Gabanna and Yves Saint Laurent? I’ll tell you why – they’re either not willing to work for it or they’re not thinking big enough. Kim Kardashian does both, and has for a long time. She understands her target demographic, sets high goals and pushes them out until you can’t open an internet browser without seeing her name or photo somewhere. Sure, a lot of what she does isn’t exactly the pinnacle of artistic evolution, but that’s a matter of taste more than anything else. The bottom line is that Kim K has converted a derogatory reality show start-up into an independent A-list career. She runs in her own lane and for that alone, demands respect. 57 MARCH 2015 | POTPOURRI
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